Life ring from missing cargo ship found as hurricane threatens Bermuda

By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - U.S. Coast Guard pilots found a life ring from the cargo ship El Faro on Saturday, the first trace of the vessel since it went missing two days earlier with 33 mostly American crew members on board, as powerful Hurricane Joaquin moved toward Bermuda. A search-and-rescue crew found the life ring in waters to the northeast of Crooked Island in the Bahamas, about 75 miles (120 km) from the ship's last known position before it went missing on Thursday morning, the Coast Guard said. "Because we found a life ring, the assumption can be made that we are searching in the right area," said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios.

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