MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Coast Guard says it has suspended a search for three boaters on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee.
In a statement Thursday, the Coast Guard said several agencies searched more than 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers) for 35 hours in an unsuccessful effort to find the boaters, though it was unclear whether they were in the water.
Officials received a mayday broadcast Tuesday night. The broadcast said a johnboat hit a submerged object and began taking on water near mile marker 744, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Brandon Giles said the three people aboard the 16-foot (5-meter) boat were wearing life jackets.
Giles says crews searched the area by boat and air.