USCG suspends search for missing man, 3 kids in Kennebunkport

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Sunday at 8 a.m. for a missing man and three children off the waters of Kennebunkport, Maine, pending new information.

Officials received a radio distress call Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. from a man reporting that his boat capsized with three kids onboard. The Coast Guard lost radio communication but conducted a 22-hour search with help from other Coast Guard crews.

They searched a total of 1,523 square nautical miles.

“We take all calls for help seriously,” said commander James McLay, search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England.

“We utilized every resource at our disposal and applied an extraordinary amount of search effort to locate these boaters. If there was anyone in distress we gave them the best possible chance for rescue.”

According to the USCG, the man and the children were reportedly aboard a 14-foot boat and wearing orange life jackets when they lost communication with the Coast Guard.

In a series of tweets, USCG said they are searching for the missing people about 10 nautical miles from Kennebunkport, approximately 11.5 miles.

Crews from stations South Portland and Portsmouth, Air Station Cape Cod, Cutter Reefshark and local agencies are all assisting in the search.

Later in the day, the USCG released the audio of the mayday call from the missing man.

Crews remained on scene for the rest of the day, and had planned to complete their searches by 10 p.m.

The identities of the missing persons have not been released at this time.

This is a developing story. Stay with Boston 25 News for more details as soon as they become available. 

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