At least 5 migrants dead after vessel capsizes off Florida Keys, Coast Guard says

(CNN) — Crews are continuing the search for five migrants who went missing Saturday after a homemade vessel capsized about 50 miles off the coast of Florida near Little Torch Key, according to the US Coast Guard Southeast.

At least 19 people were aboard the boat at the time it capsized, according to the Coast Guard.

Nine people were rescued, and one migrant was found dead, the Coast Guard said. An additional four migrants are believed to have drowned “immediately” after the vessel capsized, the agency said.

Some of the rescued migrants wore life jackets, which the Coast Guard said saved their lives in the 6- to 8-foot seas with wind speeds up the 30 miles per hour, according to the Coast Guard.

The agency did not identify the country of origin for the migrants but did tag the US Embassy in Cuba Twitter account in their tweets about the incident.

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