Officials are urging everyone to follow safe boating regulations during the Labor Day holiday after the presumed death of a woman off the Louisiana coast.
"The Coast Guard suspended its search... for a person in the water near Pilottown," according to a news release. "Missing is Cristina Castro, 38, from Modesto, California."
Authorities say the Coast Guard crews searched approximately 1,500 square miles for the missing woman.
“The decision to suspend a case is never easy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Plummer, the search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. “Our boat crews, cutter crews, and aircrews diligently searched the area where the boater was last seen but were unable to find her. Our thoughts go out to her family and friends during this time.”
Castro was on a 34-foot catamaran that started taking on water near six miles southwest of Southwest Pass, near Pilottown, Louisiana.
"A Coast Guard Station Venice 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew and a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter aircrew were dispatched to the vicinity. The sector watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, which a good Samaritan responded. The Offshore Supply Vessel, Mr. Jake, was able to recover two people from the water, who were reported to be wearing life jackets and in stable condition."
They never found Castro.
The incident has safety officials urging boaters to wear life jackets and follow all safety guidelines during the Labor Day period that typically sees more boats on the water.