(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard New Orleans)
New Orleans Coast Guard officials on early Sunday morning were searching for three missing juveniles who were last seen entering the Mississippi River near the Crescent City Connection bridge.
Update 4/25/22, 7:14 p.m. CST: the search was suspended at 7:33p.m. Sunday in New Orleans, according to Coast Guard officials.
“The decision to suspend any search and rescue case is never easy but considering the extensive search efforts of our Coast Guard men and women, in conjunction with other response agencies, I’ve made the difficult decision to suspend our active search for the three children,” said Capt. Kelly Denning, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans commander in a statement. “Our prayers are with the families during this difficult time.”
Rescue crews searched more than 93 miles along the Mississippi River with a combined 55 total hours, according to officials.
Several Coast Guard units were dispatched to search for the juveniles, including a 15-year-old male, a 14-year-old female and an 8-year-old female shortly before 12:30 a.m., according to officials.
Rescue units include an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew, two Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team boatcrews, a crew from the Coast Guard Cutter Sawfish, New Orleans Fire and Police personnel, Jefferson and St. Bernard parish sheriff’s offices and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.