JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The one body found by Coast Guard crews searching for the El Faro was too decomposed to identify, so it was left to be collected later while searchers continued seeking survivors.
Coast Guard Capt. Todd Coggeshall, who led search efforts for the freighter after it disappeared Oct. 1, testified Tuesday before a Coast Guard investigative panel a tracker put on the body for later recovery did not work, so it was never located.
The El Faro sank after it lost propulsion while sailing from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico and got caught in Hurricane Joaquin.
Coggeshall said it would have been possible to collect the remains right then, but the crew left the body to resume looking for survivors.
He said the remains were too decomposed to identify by gender or ethnicity.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.