Two dead, five missing after boat capsizes off Florida Keys, Coast Guard says

(NEW YORK) — Two people are dead and five are missing after a boat capsized near the Florida Keys, the U.S. Coast Guard said Friday night.

The boat, which was determined to have been carrying migrants, had 15 people aboard before it capsized south of Sugarloaf Key, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Local search crews and good Samaritans rescued 8 people. Six were taken for medical evaluation, the statement said.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost their lives off the Lower Keys,” Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, said in the statement. “Our search continues for others that may have survived this tragic incident.”

U.S. Border Patrol reported more than 130 migrants had been apprehended along the island chain in the last two days, according to Miami ABC affiliate WPLG.

“This situation highlights the risks these migrants face as they attempt to enter the United States illegally by sea,” McPherson said.