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Missing cargo ship carrying 33 believed to have sunk during Hurricane Joaquin

Missing cargo ship carrying 33 believed to have sunk during Hurricane Joaquin

Authorities believe a cargo ship missing since Thursday with 33 crew on board was lost at sea and believed to have sunk in the grasp of Hurricane Joaquin.

NBC News reports the U.S. Coast Guard planned to announce the developments during a news conference on Monday.

The families of the crew, including 28 Americans, had been notified.

On the weekend a 225-square-mile 'debris field' was located by rescuers looking for signs of the missing cargo ship.

The Coast Guard said it had scoured 70,000 square nautical miles of the Atlantic as search resumed at daybreak on Monday.

A distress call indicated the El Faro had lost power and was taking on water as it sailed through the Bahamas at the height of the hurricane.

The first possible trace of the El Faro was a life ring found by the Coast Guard on Saturday. The discovery was seen as validation that search crews are in the right area.

Two additional life rings have been found, but it’s unclear if they belonged to the ship, the Coast Guard said.

The 790-foot cargo ship vanished 72 hours ago, near the eye of Hurricane Joaquin. The ship is carrying 28 U.S. citizens, as well as five Polish nationals.

The El Faro was traveling from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, as Joaquin churned over the Atlantic Ocean. The ship sent a distress signal at 7:20 a.m. Thursday saying it had lost electricity, was taking on water and listing at 15 degrees.