4 divers reported missing off the coast of North Carolina

UPDATE: The divers have been rescued. Click here to read more.

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a search-and-rescue operation for four people who failed to resurface while diving from a boat south of Cape Fear in North Carolina, officials say.

The incident happened around noon on Sunday when four men were diving from a boat – the pleasure craft Big Bill’s – in the Atlantic Ocean about 50 miles south of Cape Fear, or 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina were notified when the divers failed to resurface, after which a multi-asset search and rescue operation began, according to a news release.

The Coast Guard has deployed multiple aircraft and boats, including an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, 2 HC-130 Hercules aircraft, a motor lifeboat and the Coast Guard Cutters Sailfish and Yellowfin.

“Current sea state is about 2-3 feet with 10-knot winds,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “Crews will continue searching through the night.”

The names of the divers have not been released.