JUPITER, Fla., July 29 (UPI) — As the search for two teenage boys who have been missing off the coast of South Florida enters the fifth day, the U.S. Coast Guard extended the search area to Georgia for a second day.
In an effort to find Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, rescuers took a second look Wednesday morning at an object spotted in the waters off the coast of Savannah, Ga., and came up empty. Officials have called off the search in Savannah, Coast Guard Petty Officer Stephen Lehmann said. At the same time, Coast Guard officials are contemplating how long the search will continue.
“We are at phase when we are starting to look at and discuss when to suspend” although “we are not there yet,” Lt. Commander Gabe Somma said. “Each hour that passes, it gets more dire.”
The boys were last seen near the Jupiter Inlet Friday at about 1:30 p.m. Later that afternoon, a strong storm blew through the area. Their boat was found capsized Sunday with no one aboard. The search has been extending up the Gulf Stream.
Tuesday night, hundreds gathered on the beach in Stuart, Fla., and Jupiter to show support. They lit candles and released lanterns in support of the families.
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