SOUTH THOMASTON, Maine — UPDATE (12:30 p.m. Thursday)
Coast Guard crews have suspended the search for three people off the Maine coast pending further information due to a probable hoax.
"There are no indications of distress or missing persons in the area," the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter at 12:20 p.m. Thursday.
ORIGINAL STORY
Rescue crews from the United States Coast Guard station in Rockland, Air Station Cape Cod, and the Maine Marine Patrol are searching for three people in the water just south of Spruce Head. Spruce Head is a village in Knox County, in the area of South Thomaston.
The three people were in a 42-foot fishing vessel, which began taking on water early Thursday morning.
According to the Coast Guard, a mayday call was received around 6:30 a.m. It was a voice message by radio, not an electronic beacon. The Coast Guard is requesting help from the public in identifying the missing boat and crew. Anyone with information is asked to call (207) 741-5422.
NEWS CENTER Maine will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.