Using helicopters and boats, Coast Guard officials roamed the vast waters off Palm Beach County early Thursday in search of possible survivors and victims from Wednesday's suspected smuggling operation that left 11 people dead and 16 survivors.
The rescue operation began Wednesday afternoon after authorities learned that an overloaded vessel sank in the Atlantic, sending more than two dozen people aboard into the water. All of the survivors and victims were believed to be Haitian migrants.
The migrants were part of an apparent smuggling operation that set off from Bimini in the Bahamas in a vessel carrying 30 people, including children and one pregnant woman.
At least 11 people — all believed to be Haitian migrants — were reported dead on Wednesday after the U.S. Coast Guard spent hours scouring the waters off Boynton Beach.
The 16 survivors were adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for more than 10 hours before they were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
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