Coast Guard officials announced Wednesday they are ending their search for five sailors who disappeared when their cargo vessel capsized during a powerful typhoon in the Pacific.
The 145-foot cargo vessel Mariana was carrying six crew members when it overturned near the Northern Mariana Islands during Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Rescue divers managed to retrieve one crew member’s body from the capsized ship on April 21.
“The decision to suspend the search is an incredibly difficult one that is only made after very careful consideration of all available information,” said Cmdr. Preston Hieb of the U.S. Coast Guard Oceania District in a video message posted on X. “From working and communicating with the families, I know how devastated they are by this outcome.”
Hieb reported that rescue teams spent over 100 hours searching an area that exceeded California’s total size for any sign of the missing sailors.
The tragedy began two weeks ago when the ship’s crew radioed the Coast Guard reporting they had lost their starboard engines and required emergency help as Super Typhoon Sinlaku pounded the Pacific island territory. Communication with the vessel was lost the following day.
Powerful winds initially hampered rescue operations, but search teams located the overturned ship on April 18 approximately 40 miles northeast of Pagan, an island within the Northern Marianas U.S. territory.
During the search, Coast Guard teams discovered debris including a partially flooded inflatable life raft located roughly 110 miles away from the capsized vessel. Despite extensive efforts, the five remaining crew members have not been found, Hieb confirmed Wednesday.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of the Mariana crew, as well as the entire Saipan community,” Hieb stated.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku brought destructive winds and flooding to the Northern Mariana Islands during its passage through the region.
