Boat with Haitian migrants washes up South Florida shore, 1 dead

At least 8 people taken into custody

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Authorities have called off the search for any more survivors after several migrants came ashore in Fort Lauderdale Thursday morning.

They were found in the waters off South Ocean Lane in Fort Lauderdale just before 8 a.m. That's just north of Port Everglades Inlet.

Fort Lauderdale police say a person living at the Lago Mar Beachside Resort spotted the migrants when they arrived. Some of the people who arrived were wearing life jackets and swam to shore.

The Coast Guard says 8 people -- 7 women and one man -- were taken into custody.

Another man who was found in the water was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

"It was pretty weird, surreal for sure," sais Marco Arroyo

Arroyo and his friends say they were surfing, when they spotted three of the migrants as they washed up on the beach. Two of them were women. One appeared to be a young man.

"I saw three people get pulled out. One was unconscious. It was not a pretty sight," said Mike, another witness. "The woman seemed OK. She was moving and walked herself out of the water when they got her to shore."

But they say the young man was not as lucky. 

"He looked like a teenager, maybe 15 or 16," said Justin Starrett. "They put him on the truck to resuscitate him and just took him out."

It's believed the migrants came from Haiti but it's unclear how long they were out in the open ocean.

"I wish hey had known the conditions today," said Mike. Because it wasn't a good day to go out on those waters."

"It's really rough. If you don't know how to swim, or what you're doing, you're in trouble," Starrett said.

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About the Author:

Elsa Bolt is a South Florida native and an Emmy Award Winning Executive News Producer. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Miami in 2008, she entered the news industry and has spent most of her career with Local 10 News.