FLORENCE, Ore — The Oregon Coast Guard is on an urgent search for a missing man, after his boat sunk off the coast near Florence early Saturday morning.
Officials at the Coast Guard Sector North Bend, received a mayday call around midnight Saturday, from 68-year-old Mike Morgan. Morgan is the master of a white and black fishing boat “White Swan III”.
Morgan reported that his boat was sinking in the north end of the Heceta Banks fishing area, according to the Coast Guard. Morgan also told dispatches that a female crew member was also on the boat.
A rescue helicopter from Air Facility Newport spotted a debris field and life raft in the area, but were forced to retreat because of heavy fog and low visibility.
“Crews aboard the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Orcas, a Sector North Bend MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter crew, and a Coast Guard Station Umpqua River 47-foot Motor Lifeboat, are currently saturating an approximately 21 square-mile area offshore Florence to locate Morgan.” Coast Guard officials said in a press release.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sector North Bend Command Center at 541-756-9210.
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