Three crew members from a tugboat that issued a distress call on Thursday in waters dangerously close to Hurricane Lorenzo were found safe in a lifeboat Saturday.
The French Maritime Rescue Coordination Center confirmed the rescue to weather.com early Saturday afternoon.
“We have found a life raft with three persons on board," MRCC manager Philippe Bricquer said in a phone interview. “Two of them are a little bit tired but the last one is in very good condition.”
There was no word on the 11 other crew members still missing from the tug Bourbon Rhode.
“We know that there were four life rafts on this ship. We found one," Bricquer said. "I’m not sure that the three others left the ship.”
The Bourbon Rhode sank Thursday with 14 crew on board. An emergency beacon indicated the boat was in the center of Hurricane Lorenzo.