9 missing in waters south of Key West, Coast Guard says

Nine people are missing in the waters off Key West as Tropical Storm Elsa barrels toward Florida, officials said.

At least 15 people were rescued on Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a tweet.

A marine vessel initially pulled two people from the waters about 23 miles southeast of Key West about 4 p.m. and alerted the Coast Guard, according to officials. Crews responded, rescued 10 more people and deployed helicopters, airplanes and ships to find the missing. The last of the 15 were found during that search.

Photos showed some of them clinging to orange floating devices as heavy downpours hit the water.

“The search for more survivors continue as we evaluate the health and provide medical attention for those rescued,” the Coast Guard said in another tweet.

No other details, including who the rescued were, where they were going and how long they were in the water, were immediately available.