Search for Prudence Island woman in Narragansett Bay suspended

PORTSMOUTH — A search for a 39-year-old Prudence Island woman in the area of Narragansett Bay that began Monday night was suspended Tuesday afternoon "pending further information," according to a social media post by the Coast Guard.

Between Coast Guard Station Castle Hill and an 87-foot patrol boat, the Coast Guard searched throughout the night after getting the emergency call around 6 p.m., said Boatswain’s Mate First Class Josh Pope on Tuesday morning.

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Portsmouth police in a press release Tuesday said the department was notified around 6:30 p.m. Monday a woman had fallen off the Prudence Island Ferry as it traveled from Bristol to Prudence Island.

"Witnesses reported she was alone on the deck of (the) vessel when the incident occurred," according to the press release. "From several witness accounts, it appeared that the woman intentionally climbed over the deck railing and entered the water."

Portsmouth Fire Department Assistant Chief Howie Tighe said Portsmouth along with Bristol, Warren, Warwick and Cranston assisted in the search Monday night.

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“The conditions were just awful,” Tighe said, with storm-like conditions. The search by some units (other than the Coast Guard) ceased around 10 p.m. but recommenced Tuesday morning.

Land searches on Prudence Island and parts of Bristol were also conducted, Tighe said.

The Coast Guard, in its announcement on social media that the search had been suspended, said crews searched for a total of 10 hours and combed 39 square nautical miles with no sign of the woman.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Coast Guard, Portsmouth among units searching for Prudence Island woman