Photo: bajasportfishinginc.com via CBSNews.com
At roughly 2AM on Sunday morning, the chartered fishing boat Eric sank in a storm in the Sea of Cortez off Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Twenty seven American tourists and a crew of 16 were aboard were aboard the fishing boat when she sank. Thirty-five were either picked up or swam to shore. One is confirmed dead and seven Americans are still missing.
Search resumes for 7 missing after boat sinks off Baja California
Search and rescue operations resumed Tuesday morning for seven people still missing after a fishing boat sank Sunday off Baja California.
The Mexican navy on Tuesday morning continued searching waters around the accident site by plane, helicopter, boat and from vehicles on the shore, a spokeswoman said. The U.S. Coast Guard was assisting with with a C-130 aircraft preparing to take off from Sacramento, said Petty Officer Pamela Boehland.
The search was continuing, authorities said, because people could still be alive in the warm weather and water temperatures.
I wonder if a lot of the passengers were partying on the upper back deck and all it took was one good wave to tip it over?
From the news reports I’ve read, everyone seemed to be asleep. It wouldn’t surprise me at all however if the upper deck was related to the capsize. If they didn’t count on the weight and windage of the deck, which I suspect was added after the ship arrived in Mexico, it could have had a significant effect on reducing the range of stability of the fishing boat.