Nine people are missing in the ocean off the Keys, and the Coast Guard is searching

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for nine people missing in the ocean off the Florida Keys. They were among 22 people who left Cuba Monday night on a boat on the way to South Florida as Tropical Storm Elsa was preparing to hit the area with rough seas, heavy winds and rain.

The surviving passengers told the Coast Guard that they left around 8 p.m. and their vessel capsized as they crossed the Florida Straits.

The crew of a merchant ship, the Western Carmen, called Coast Guard Sector Key West at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday after spotting four people in the water, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard cutter Thetis arrived at the scene, about 26 miles southeast of Key West, and its crew rescued nine men and four women from the ocean, the agency said.

Another cutter, the William Trump, arrived later to help in the search and rescue. In all, the Coast Guard has two cutters, two helicopters and an airplane searching for the people.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

©2021 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.