The family of Gregory Walcott, 62, told KATC-TV that he was on the boat. The family has heard nothing about his fate. Walcott has worked on the rigs for two decades, his niece said.<\/p>\n
“We don’t have any words. It’s just … it’s like a bomb just exploded without any notice,” his niece, Crystle Randle, told the TV station. “We’re all just in a state of shock right now. We’re just staying in good faith that he will be found alive.”<\/p>\n
Family members of Dylan Daspit told KATC\u00a0he, too,\u00a0was on the boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone pray for a miracle,” said his wife,\u00a0Hannah Coleman Daspit. “He needs to come home to his family. We can\u2019t live without him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Capt. Will Watson, commander of\u00a0Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, was unwilling to give up hope that survivors would be found after more than 40 hours of searching late Wednesday. The massive effort over 1,440 square miles included\u00a0more than a dozen authorized search boats and “good Samaritan” boats, five airplanes and three helicopters.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to search and rescue, each case is dynamic and no single case is the same as the next,” he said late Wednesday. “It is always our hope to safely bring those people back and reunite them with their friends and families.\u201d<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/04\/15\/USAT\/9e59ab5a-eb41-4acb-8547-5545b1b06bcd-capsize.jpg?width=540&height=&fit=bounds&auto=webp\")
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Darra Ann Morales, right, shows a photo of her son Chaz Morales and his family on her phone, as Chaz Jr. comforts his grandmother at their home in Slidell, La., Wednesday, April 14, 2021. (Photo: Max Becherer, AP)<\/span><\/p>\n The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast Tuesday after being alerted that the boat was in distress. The cutter Glenn Harris, a 154-foot rescue ship, arrived on the scene within 30 minutes and pulled one person from the capsized vessel, the agency said. Another Coast Guard boat rescued one man, and boaters in the area pulled four more to safety.<\/p>\n Seacor Marine, which owned the boat, released a statement saying it was\u00a0working with the Coast Guard and local authorities to locate “our valued team members and partners.”<\/p>\n “We would like to thank the U.S. Coast Guard and Good Samaritan vessels for their immediate response as well as the brave individuals who have further supported our search and rescue efforts,” the statement said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone involved.”<\/p>\n Cuyler was unmoved.<\/p>\n “I mean, they shouldn’t have gone out,” she said. “There’s no way. They should have waited at least 12 hours.”<\/p>\n