Coast Guard suspends search for barge worker who fell in river near Donaldsonville
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The Coast Guard has suspended their search for a barge worker who fell in the Mississippi River somewhere near Donaldsonville Thursday morning. They announced they’d suspended the search around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
According to the Coast Guard, the worker fell into the Mississippi River from a barge near Donaldsonville in Ascension Parish. They say they searched about 46 square miles for 18 hours.
The accident happened around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 30, according to officials.
Involved in the search were:
- Response boat crew from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit - Baton Rouge
- Response boat crew from Coast Guard Station - New Orleans
- MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station - New Orleans
- Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office boat crew
The Coast Guard added the man was wearing an orange life vest.
“The decision to suspend a search is one of the most difficult things we do in the Coast Guard,” said Cmdr. Michael Wolfe, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “We consider many factors when making this decision and it’s never easy. Coast Guard crews diligently searched for over 17 hours, but regrettably, the missing man was unable to be located. Our hearts go out to the friends and family of the missing crew member.”
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