Florida boat capsize – live: Coast Guard search for 39 people after ‘suspected human smuggling’ boat overturns

The US Coast Guard is searching for 39 people who were on board a suspected people smuggling boat when it capsized off the Florida coast.

Officials said that the alarm was raised when a survivor clinging to the capsized vessel was rescued by a "good Samaritan" about 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet.

The survivor said that he was one of 40 people who had left Bimini in the Bahamas on Saturday night but quickly encountered bad weather. He said nobody was wearing a life jacket.

The Coast Guard said it believed it was dealing with a “human smuggling venture”.

This is not the first such disaster. Last May, another suspected human smuggling boat capsized off a beach in California, reportedly killing one person and injuring 11.

Another, larger smuggling vessel turned over off Point Loma near San Diego the same month, allegedly killing four people. The San Diego Fire Department pulled 27 people from the water, with five needing CPR.

Follow live updates below as this story develops.

What the Coast Guard has said

19:47 , Io Dodds

Welcome to our live coverage. Here's what the US Coast Guard has said about the capsized vessel in Florida:

"Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders received a report from a good Samaritan who rescued a man clinging to a capsized vessel approximately 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet.

The survivor reported he left Bimini, Bahamas, with 39 other people Saturday night and encountered severe weather, causing the vessel to capsize.

"According to the survivor, no one else was wearing a life jacket. Coast Guard air and surface asset crews are actively searching for people in the water.

"This is a suspected human smuggling venture."