A 'Smuggling' Boat Capsizes Off The Coast Of Florida, Threatening The Lives Of Dozens Of People.

Officials from the United States Coast Guard are looking for 39 individuals who went missing after their ship sank off the coast of Florida on Saturday night.

On Tuesday morning, officials were alerted after fishermen spotted a man clinging to the hull of a boat 45 miles (72 kilometers) from Fort Pierce.

According to the survivor, the gang left Bimini, Bahamas, on Saturday night and ran into bad weather.

The yacht may have been involved in a "people smuggling endeavor," according to US officials.

None of the passengers were wearing life vests, according to the survivor, who did not want to be recognized.

The Miami Coast Guard was in charge of the search, which included ships and planes, according to the agency's Twitter account.

No more survivors had been located by Tuesday afternoon.

Bimini is located 80 miles west of Miami and is the westernmost region of the Bahamas.

Officials are looking from Bimini to Fort Pierce, a distance of about 135 miles.

In the waters around Florida, incidents involving overcrowded vessels are not uncommon. Many of the cases involve Cuban and Haitian migrants attempting to enter the United States.

The Coast Guard stated on Friday that they had discovered 88 Haitians on an overloaded ship west of the Bahamas.

In a statement, the Coast Guard added, "Navigating the Florida Straits, Windward and Mona Routes in overloaded and less than seaworthy passages is exceedingly dangerous and can result in loss of life."

"These excursions will continue to be stopped by the Coast Guard and our partner organizations. You'll be detained, and you can expect to be returned and repatriated to your own country."