'Wake Low' Hit, Pulled La. Boat Under

Rescue operation underway after boat capsizes off of La.; 6 rescued so far, at least a dozen missing
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2021 6:31 AM CDT
Updated Apr 14, 2021 6:58 AM CDT
129-Foot Boat Capsizes in 'Really Powerful' Weather
A Coast Guard boat heads toward a capsized commercial lift boat on Tuesday to search for people in the waters off Louisiana.   (US Coast Guard, Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris via AP)

A search and rescue operation is underway for at least a dozen people off the coast of Louisiana after a 129-foot boat capsized during a "really powerful" weather event. Officials say six survivors have been plucked from the water so far after the vessel left from Port Fourchon on Tuesday and headed right into what a National Weather Service meteorologist describes as a "wake low," an unusual low-pressure weather phenomenon that resulted in winds of up to 80mph, reports NBC News. Per a release, the US Coast Guard received an emergency beacon notification around 4:30pm of a commercial lift vessel in distress and dispatched the Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris to the scene within a half-hour.

That vessel rescued one person from the water, while another Coast Guard boat picked up a second survivor. Good Samaritans in their own vessels rescued another four people. The overturned boat has been identified as the Seacor Power, with a spokesman telling the New York Times that 18 people had been on board when it left port; a Lafourche Parish official says the ship's manifest indicated 19 were on the ship. Coast Guard cutters and other vessels, as well as private boats, a plane, and a helicopter are continuing the search and rescue operation. The Seacor Power apparently wasn't the only vessel that ran into trouble Tuesday. The Times cites a Facebook post from another boater who says he was on the water during the storm. "[I've] NEVER Heard soo many MAYDAY calls in my life!" Bruce Simon wrote Tuesday. "Other boats have flipped [and] are taking on water! ... Please pray for the Lost!" (More boat accident stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X