Search called off for 30-year-old man who fell out of boat in Casco Bay

Officials say they are calling off the search for a man who is believed to have fallen out of a boat in Casco Bay on Thursday. The Coast Guard announced shortly after noon Friday that it had decided to call off the search for 30-year-old Edward Berke. At around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Coast Guard officials in the Northern New England Sector learned that Berke had fallen overboard. After issuing an urgent maritime information alert, a rescue boat and a helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod Jayhawk began the search. Overnight, nine state, local and federal agencies deployed multiple surface and aerial assets to survey nearly 350 square miles near Clapboard Island and other areas of Casco Bay. Officials say they found a pair of flip-flops belonging to Berke in the water where he fell overboard, but nothing else. “We conduct every search and rescue mission with the hope of bringing missing persons to safety, which is why stopping a search and rescue operation is one of the most difficult decisions I make,” said Captain Matt Baker.