The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre has suspended their search for five missing fishermen from the Chief William Saulis.
In a tweet issued on Wednesday, December 16th, the JRCC said that the case will be turned over to the RCMP as a missing persons case.
Crews searched a 260 square nautical mile area by air, land, and sea for more than 36 hours
The RCMP has set up a command centre at the United Baptist Church in Hillsburn as a base of operations.
They are being supported by the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office (EMO), Nova Scotia Public Safety and Field Communications, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Ground Search and Rescue teams from West Hants, Valley, Annapolis, Digby, Clare and Yarmouth.
The ground search zone now spans a 55 km stretch of shoreline from Delaps Cove to Margarestville, Annapolis County.
The searchers are continuing to look for items from the Chief William Saulis such as life jackets, survival kits, survival suits, emergency beacons and human remains.
The RCMP are asking members of the public to stay away from the shoreline in this area while the search continues.
The missing men have been identified as Leonard Gabriel, Dan Forbes, Michael Drake, Eugene ‘Geno’ Francis, Aaron Cogswell, and captain Charles Roberts.
One body was recovered on Tuesday night.
No official confirmation has been made, though family members of Mike Drake have said on social media that they were notified that his body was found.
Several of the men are from the Yarmouth area or have ties to the community.
Ground search efforts are being focused during daylight hours due to the hazardous and dangerous conditions that occur at the shoreline in the overnight hours.
