Florida Boat Capsize Leaves 3 Dead, 7 Wounded; Coast Guard Officials Say There Might Be More Bodies Underwater

At least three people have died and seven more wounded, after a boat capsized off the coast of South Florida.

According to U.S. Coast Guard officials who spoke with CNN, the small Dutch boat was on its way to Key West, Fla. on Thursday at around noon. Lookouts reportedly witnessed "a capsized 24-foot center console vessel with seven suspected migrants atop the hull."

The seven people on top of the hull were removed from the water, while Dutch sailors brought back the three bodies.

Coast Guard officials believed there could be more people trapped underwater, CNN reported.

A 154-foot Miami-based ship called the Cutter Richard Etheridge has been sent to search for more potentially missing passengers. The Coast Guard also deployed a C-130 airplane from Clearwater to keep watch over the site of the accident.

The rescued people on board the boat, named The Zeeland, are currently being transferred to the Florida mainland, according to Petty Officer for the Coast Guard Sabrina Laberdesque.

Spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean Lt. Maartje Van Der Maas told CNN that The Zeeland departed from its origin in the Netherlands 12 days prior.

The ship continued on its way to Key West after all people found on board were moved out of the area.