EVERETT, Wash. — Recovery efforts for three missing boaters in Puget Sound have been suspended for the day as authorities re-evaluate their approach and strategy.
The tragic capsizing incident occurred around 1 p.m. yesterday in Possession Sound, just off Howarth Park.
Everett police announced the pause in their search, which has been ongoing for hours. Rebecca Lynn, who is visiting Everett, expressed her concern, “We hear about accidents happening all the time, but people often get found quick and to think that they’re still out there and it’s been how long now it’s terrifying.”
RELATED: 3 missing, 1 rescued after boat sinks in Possession Sound near Mukilteo
According to police, four people were shrimping on the boat when it sank. A man in his 50s was rescued by a good Samaritan and is expected to recover. Police say he was on the boat with his coworkers, a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s, both of whom are still missing. The man in his 60s was also accompanied by his son, who is in his 20s.
Keegan Paugh, an Everett resident who was present when the boaters were first reported missing, described the scene, “The fire department came running across here down the train tracks they came running with their life vest or some orange vest. I don’t know, at first, I wasn’t sure if it was a water thing going on or something on the train tracks.”
The U.S. Coast Guard has also suspended their search efforts late Wednesday night, Coast Guard spokesperson Steve Strohmaier explained, “We had a pretty definite location of where that boat went down so it was a slightly narrow field to start searching initially but as the day progresses and those tides and currents and winds change that search area gets larger and larger.”
Julie Keim, a fisher who has survived a similar boating incident, emphasized the dangers of being on the water, “I think all boaters need to be on alert even though it’s a calm beautiful day out doesn’t mean that the waters underneath are safe.”
The cause of the boat’s sinking remains unclear. Residents hope the missing boaters can be found to provide closure for their families.
