The search for 14-year-old boys who went missing on an unsupervised fishing trip off the Florida coast has entered its second day.
Coast Guard crews in Florida are searching for the two youngsters, who had bought $110 worth of fuel for their boat, after they didn’t return from a fishing trip on Friday.
Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, both 14, were last seen at about 1.30pm on Friday near Jupiter, about 90 miles north of Miami.
The pair, who are known to be avid fishermen, had stocked up on fuel for their 19-foot white single-engine boat and didn’t return to shore when they were expected to at 5pm.
Perry Cohen’s family lives across from the water, his mom, Pamela, was quoted in the Palm Beach Post as saying that the family has taken vacations to the Bahamas on their boat so it was possible the boys ended up there.
She saidd: ‘It is not ruled out by any means whatsoever,’ adding she is grateful for the diligence of the Coast Guard and other agencies involved in the search for her son.
She said that when her son goes out he’s always conscientious about checking in.
Search and rescue vessels have covered more than 5,300 square nautical miles in the search for the boys, according to NBC.
They usually don’t go farther than 200 or 300 feet away from the marina, Coast Guard officials said.
‘After speaking to the parents, they’re pretty certain these boys wouldn’t have ventured that far off,’ Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney told the Sun Sentinel.
‘We’re doing our best to do everything we can to search for these boys and bring them back home safely,’ Barney added.
Austin’s aunt, Margaux Stephanos, told the Palm Beach Post: ‘He’s been fishing his entire life. As long as I can remember.’
The Coast Guard is planning on searching through the night, using a plane, helicopter and boat crews in hopes of spotting the boys.
The reward for their safe return was up to $60,000 Saturday evening.
