March 17, 2017 - 5:56 AM
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Authorities in Florida have stopped searching for a Colorado State University student and a yacht crew member who went missing in choppy Tampa Bay-area waters.
The Coast Guard said Thursday evening that it had ended the search for 27-year-old Andrew Dillman of New York and 21-year-old Jie Luo of China.
The two men had been missing since Tuesday evening. Authorities said 15 college students chartered the yacht, and Luo was among five who jumped from the boat to swim off Shell Key.
Authorities said Dillman jumped into the water when he saw Luo was struggling in the swift currents. Neither man wore a flotation device.
The Coast Guard said search efforts covered nearly 1,600 square miles (about 4,100 square kilometres).
___
Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017