DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. — Coast Guard crews searched for five people missing Sunday after recovering two bodies following a powerful storm that capsized several sailboats competing in a regatta near Mobile Bay.

One body was discovered after Saturday’s storm and another Sunday morning, said Maj. Steve Thompson, director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Marine Patrol Division.

Authorities said crews used boats and planes to search the Alabama waters, including areas near Dauphin Island where anxious family members have gathered at a Coast Guard station awaiting updates. Red Cross volunteers and an ambulance also were at the site.

Names of the missing and deceased were not immediately released Sunday. One person was rescued Saturday evening.

More than 100 sailboats and as many as 200 people were participating in the 57th running of the Dauphin Island regatta in Mobile Bay when the storm hit Saturday.

Gary Garner, commodore of the Fairhope Yacht Club which organized the race, said members are “heartbroken.”

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“We are helping and cooperating fully with the U.S. Coast Guard and other authorities in accounting for all of the sailors,” he said in an emailed statement.

At a news conference in Dauphin Island, Thompson called Saturday’s events “an awful tragedy.”

“Our hearts go out to the families, and we are using all available resources,” he said.

Coast Guard Capt. Duke Walker said officials are focused on finding the missing.


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