Ocean Search Ends; Mayday Signal May Have Been a Hoax

The Coast Guard on Tuesday suspended its search for possible survivors of a boat that was reported burning after officials determined that the distress call may have been a false alarm, a spokeswoman said.

Coast Guard helicopters and boats combed the waters for more than eight hours Monday after a faint Mayday call came in about 2:30 p.m., Petty Officer Brenda Toledo said.

“The signals were weak--very weak--when we got them. It was almost like from a hand-held radio,” Toledo said.

A man said he was calling from a 12-foot inflatable boat and reported that “there were two dead people, several injured on board and the vessel was burning,” Toledo said. “It was a real quick call. (He) didn’t give information on where they were located.”

Several Coast Guard units heard the signal and mounted a sweep from Seal Beach south to Point Loma, but the search yielded nothing, not even debris, Toledo said.

A bulletin broadcast throughout the night on the mariner’s emergency channel also received no response from mariners who might have seen survivors or wreckage, Toledo said.

Coast Guard officials Tuesday morning determined that the call may have been a false alarm and suspended the search pending further developments, Toledo said.