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Mystery surrounds empty life rafts found floating off Florida coast

By Emilee Speck
Published  December 10, 2024 7:06am EST
Florida
FOX Weather

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    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Two empty life rafts found off the Florida coast are causing U.S. Coast Guard officials to seek more information about where the flotation devices came from.

    According to the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, a surveying vessel found the empty life rafts on Sunday, each with the capacity to hold 10 to 25 people, about 20 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral.

    "The life rafts appear to be unused and seem to have been activated offshore Cape Canaveral, as indicated by the tracking device on board," the USCG Jacksonville wrote on Facebook. "The details of the life rafts suggest a possible Search and Rescue (SAR) or military training exercise."

    Life rafts found about 20 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida. (US Coast Guard Jacksonville)

    Life rafts found about 20 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida. (US Coast Guard Jacksonville)

    With no other information, the Coast Guard said they treated the situation as a possible search and research scenario. After an active search on Sunday, teams suspended the search because the rafts didn't appear to have been used for distress. 

    USCG Sector Jacksonville has the rafts and will run tests on them. 

    Anyone with information regarding these life rafts is asked to contact the Sector Jacksonville Command Center at 904-714-7500.

    Read more at FOXWeather.com.

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