100 Migrants Rescued From Overloaded Boat Near Florida Keys: Coast Guard

RODRIGUEZ KEY, FL — More than 100 migrants were rescued from an overloaded sailboat Monday after the vessel hit a sandbar near Whale Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

A good Samaritan reported the vessel to Key West watchstanders around 5 a.m., the Coast Guard said in a tweet. Crews responded to the boat near Rodriguez Key after receiving reports of people in the water.

In what appeared to be an hours-long effort, crews battled rough seas and 25 mph winds to remove people from the "unsafe, overloaded vessel," according to the Coast Guard. Shortly after 1 p.m., the Coast Guard said 22 people had been rescued. By 9 p.m., officials revised the number to more than 100.

The nationalities of those on board the vessel were not immediately clear.

The incident happened just two days after a homemade boat carrying Cuban migrants capsized about 50 miles from Little Torch Key, killing five people. The Coast Guard suspended the search for survivors Monday night. Five people remain missing.