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Coast Guard suspends search for missing family
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Posted on Apr 22 2009
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam suspended last night the search and rescue operation for a family of four who has been reported missing since Saturday night while traveling from Guam to Rota aboard a catamaran.
The Coast Guard said the active search is suspended “pending further developments.”
The U.S. Coast Guard declined to answer Saipan Tribune’s question whether the distress call—purportedly from a certain Ray Quichocho—was a hoax.
Lt. Elizabeth Buendia, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam command center chief, only stated that they are grateful to all media partners who made repeated attempts to obtain more information about the Quichocho family.
“This case highlights the importance of filing an accurate and comprehensive float plan with a trusted friend or family member,” Buendia said.
It has been confirmed that Ray Quichocho is not the Saipan lawyer Ramon “Ray” Quichocho. The lawyer and his wife have a business on Rota.
Guam media also reported that no relatives have surfaced to report that Ray Quichocho is missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard started the search and rescue operation after they received last Saturday a call from the CNMI Emergency Management Office.
Apparently, the EMO got a cellular phone call from Ray Quichocho, who stated that he and his family were traveling from Guam to Rota on their catamaran and that they were encountering big waves about 10 miles from Two Lovers Point.
Quichocho reported that one of the boat’s two engines had failed.
Quichocho ended the call before EMO could gather any additional information.
Buendia said yesterday that since the report came in, Sector Guam has been coordinating the search efforts, which included rescue assets from the Naval Helicopter Combat Squadron-25, a Coast Guard C-130 from Honolulu, the Coast Guard cutter Washington and Coast Guard small boats from Station Apra Harbor.
“In total, the rescue units covered an area over 5,500 square nautical miles, an area 23 times the size of Guam,” Buendia said.
