39 people missing as capsized boat found near Florida

Officials said on Twitter that they are searching by both air and sea over a roughly 135-mile area extending from Bimini to the Fort Pierce Inlet

The agency patrols the waters around Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas, along routes often used by migrants trying to reach the US. File Picture: Marta Lavandier/AP

The US Coast Guard is searching for 39 people missing for several days after a boat believed to be piloted by human smugglers capsized off Florida’s coast en route from the Bahamas.

A good Samaritan called the Coast Guard early on Tuesday after rescuing a man clinging to the boat 45 miles east of Fort Pierce, the maritime security agency reported on Twitter.