A search is underway for a missing CSU student and the man who tried to rescue him. They vanished off the coast of Florida Tuesday evening.
Marine deputies in Florida are looking for a missing CSU student and another man, both of whom went missing near the Gulf of Mexico during a Pass-a-Grille Challenge Tuesday evening.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's office, 15 students from CSU were on a charter boat around 4 p.m. local time. Five male students decided to go swimming off the anchored boat, but only four managed to return to the boat due to high winds and rough waters. The charter captain was helping the four students back into the boat when a crew member jumped into the water to help the fifth man. It's believed that both men were caught in the strong current and were not wearing flotation devices.
Coast Guard officials said that crews responded to four separate search and rescue calls on Tuesday alone, and they are cautioning boaters to remain vigilant and careful during the rest of this week's predicted stormy weather. Mike Hooker, CSU's Executive Director of Public Affairs, said in a statement on Wednesday morning,
The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority and we are very concerned to hear of what has happened in Florida. We are gathering details and when we learn more from law enforcement, we will share information that we are able to provide. The thoughts and hope of our CSU community are for the safety of our students involved in this incident, with the missing student and charter mate and families and friends of those involved, and for the safety of rescue crews who are involved in the search."
Stay tuned for updates as we receive them!
Photo courtesy of 9News.
