Vestavia Man Rescued After Boat Capsizes Off Louisiana Coast

Vestavia Hills AL

15 April, 2021

10:36 AM

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PORT FOURCHON, LA — Six people were rescued after a boat capsized off the Louisana coast Tuesday, one of whom is a Vestavia Hills man. Of those aboard the vessel, 12 people are still missing, and one has been found dead. A WBRC report said James Gracien of Vestavia was rescued Tuesday night after being in the water for four hours. One worker's body was recovered Wednesday and six people were rescued Tuesday after the Seacor Power overturned Tuesday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard told the Associated Press. The search, interrupted by darkness and bad weather, has totaled nearly 40 hours and more than 1,440 square miles of Gulf waters by Wednesday afternoon, according to a news release. The hunt for the missing continued into the evening, said Petty Officer Carlos Galarza. Coast Guard Capt. Will Watson said earlier that winds were 80 to 90 mph and waves rose 7 to 9 feet high when the lift boat overturned. The National Weather Service in New Orleans issued a special marine warning before 4 p.m. Tuesday that predicted steep waves and winds greater than 50 knots (58 mph). The Coast Guard received a distress message from a good Samaritan at 4:30 p.m. and issued an urgent marine broadcast that prompted multiple private vessels in the area to respond, saving four people, the agency said. Coast Guard crews rescued another two people. At one point, video showed the boat — 129 feet long at its beam — with one leg pointed awkwardly skyward as rescuers searched the heaving water. The Associated Press contributed to this report.