The search for two boys lost at sea, both 14 who went missing near Florida last Friday, has been called off by the U.S. Coast Guard, reported Today.
The news of the two boys lost at sea has been a nightmare for both their families since it was reported July 24. Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos were last seen fueling up their 19-foot single engine boat allegedly on a trip to the Bahamas. They have vanished on the open water since, and the U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday that they have decided to suspend their search of the teens.
The tip that the boys lost at sea may have been headed to the Bahamas had the Coast Guard notifying officials there. However, there was no trace of the teens even there and on Sunday, their capsized boat was discovered near Ponce Inlet, located 180 miles north where they departed.
"We made a decision to extend our search efforts because there was some uncertainty as to when the boys may have went into the water," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor. He added that the process had been "excruciating and gut-wrenching," according to The Inquisitr.
"We also took into account their age and their combined will to live. We never want to discount that... We believe we reached the limit for our effective search and rescue efforts" said Fedor. "My focus entirely was on trying to find these two boys. We are budgeted to do search and rescue. I never asked anybody about how much this would cost. I used all the resources that we had available to use. Our federal and state partners, they were going at this with everything they had as well."
The boys lost at sea reportedly grew up on the water. They have boated, fished, worked at a tackle shop together and have had an immense experience with life on the ocean. Their families are holding out hope that the boys' knowledge of the sea have been keeping them alive.
Volunteers continue to search for the boys along with their families. About $340,000 have been gathered from donations by Friday evening, and the families have promised to keep looking for their children, reported The Associated Press.
The families' private search for the boys lost at sea will continue without the aid of authorities. They have since alerted all boaters to stay on the lookout for the teenagers.
While many have been supportive of the families, others are suggesting that maybe the teens shouldn't have been allowed to go out on the sea on their own.
The U.S. Coast Guard has said that it would be immensely difficult to remain lost at sea before dehydration or exhaustion sets in.
