Crew on ship off Brevard coast evacuated with food poisoning

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Officials said ill crew members of a South Korean cargo ship were evacuated from an area near Tropical Storm Arthur.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported Tuesday that 19 out of 21 crew members aboard the cargo ship JS Comet were in need of medical assistance after showing signs of food poisoning.

The 584-foot ship was anchored three miles off the coast from Cape Canaveral.

Coast Guard officials said one factor in the decision to evacuate the sick crew members was the deteriorating weather conditions.

"It was important to us, obviously, with the approaching weather to get out there sooner because the seas are building and it's getting rough out there," said PFC Lauren Jorgensen of the United States Coast Guard.

The rescue crews were coming from Air Station Clearwater.

The crew told the Coast Guard they believe they got food poisoning from bad sushi.

Arthur, the first named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, was swirling 90 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral.

WFTV