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NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard continues to search for 12 missing people Thursday from a capsized vessel 8 miles south of Port Fourchon.

Coast Guard air and surface assets continued to search overnight, and the search will continue throughout the day. Coast Guard crews have searched for a combined 70 hours covering approximately 6,380 square miles, an area roughly the size of Hawaii. 

Divers are on scene Thursday to conduct an assessment and begin operations in support of the ongoing search and rescue effort.

While search efforts for the crew are continuing, the incident has been declared a major marine casualty. The Coast Guard is leading a preliminary investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board will be joining in that effort.

Rescue assets involved in the search so far:

• the pre-commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Glen Harris crew
• Coast Guard Cutter Amberjack crew
• Coast Guard Cutter Moray crew
• Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Dailey
• Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew
• Coast Guard Station Grand Isle 45-foot RB-M boatcrews
• Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crews 
• Two Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplanes crews
• Two Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules airplane crews
• Two Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters
• Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries crews
• Port Fourchon Harbor Patrol
• Port Fourchon Sherriff’s Department
• Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office
• One commercial air medical service crew

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