Coast Guard suspends search for woman who went missing in the water near Portsmouth Island

Published 7:25 am Tuesday, October 12, 2021

The Coast Guard announced late Monday night that it has suspended the search for a 27-year-old woman in the water in the vicinity of Portsmouth Island in Ocracoke Inlet.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center received a report via 911 at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Saturday of a capsized canoe with two people aboard.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew located a conscious male survivor alongside a green canoe approximately 2.8 miles offshore of Drum Inlet at approximately 9:54 a.m. on Sunday, according to a Coast Guard press release. The survivor was hoisted into the aircraft and transported to Carteret Hospital in Morehead City.

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A second survivor, the original reporting source, was found ashore on Great Island by a good Samaritan. That survivor reported swimming to shore, last seeing the missing woman in the early morning hours of Sunday.

The Coast Guard searched approximately 1,635 square nautical miles for 73 search hours.

“The decision to suspend a search is the toughest part of my responsibilities,” said Capt. Matt Baer, commander of Sector North Carolina. “Our hearts are with the family who lost a loved one during this incident.”

The Coast Guard reported that assets and agencies involved in the search included: An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew and an HC-130 Hercules aircraft aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, an HC-130 Hercules aircraft aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, a 24-foot shallow water special purpose craft boatcrew and a 47-foot Motor Life Boat boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Hatteras Inlet, a 47-foot Motor Life Boat boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Fort Macon, 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat Coast Guard Cutter Seahawk, Hyde County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina Wildlife and National Park Services.

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