Body Of Crewman From Hurricane-Hit Ship Found

Search teams have found the body of one crew member from a US cargo ship that went missing off the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin, the Coast Guard says.

The body was discovered by an aerial team searching for signs of the 33 people who were on board the 790ft El Faro when it lost contact with authorities last week.

Captain Mark Fedor said the victim was found wearing a survival suit.

The helicopter crew confirmed the crewman was dead before moving on to search for possible survivors.

Several other empty survival suits were found floating nearby amid other debris from the ship, Capt Fedor added.

He said crews also found one of the ship's two life boats but it had no people in it.

The ship's owner said the vessel had more than enough life boats or rafts for those on board.

The Coast Guard said it concluded the El Faro sank last week after encountering high winds and heavy seas.

The container ship disappeared after losing contact with authorities early on Thursday as it sailed from Jacksonville, Florida, towards San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the height of Hurricane Joaquin.

The vessel was sailing in winds of more than 130mph and waves of up to nine metres when it ran into trouble.

During their last communication with land on Thursday morning, crew members reported the ship had lost power, taken on water and was listing 15 degrees but that they still thought the situation was manageable.

Meanwhile, relatives of those who were on the ship - 28 Americans and five Poles - gathered at the Seafarer's Union Hall in Jacksonville as they waited for news.

Mary Shevory, whose 51-year-old daughter Mariette Wright was a crew member on the El Faro, said: "I'm just praying to God they find the ship and bring my daughter and everyone on it home."

Laurie Bobillot, whose daughter Danielle Randolph also works on the ship, said: "We've got to stay positive. These kids are trained. Every week they have abandon ship drills."

The company has defended its decision to sail, saying crew members were "equipped to handle situations such as changing weather".