No survivors have been found yet as the search continues for a capsized fishing boat in southeast Alaska

Updated: 15 minutes ago Published: 15 minutes ago

Authorities say there are still no signs of survivors from a Sitka-based commercial fishing boat that capsized early Sunday morning with what are believed to be five people on board.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the search for the 52-foot Wind Walker continued Monday morning with two cutters. The boat’s crew made a distress call at 12:10 a.m. Sunday reporting that they were tipping over, the Coast Guard said. Observers in Juneau received no further response, they said, but the boat’s distress signal was located near Point Couverden in Icy Strait, southwest of Juneau.

On Sunday, the Coast Guard said searchers had found seven cold-water diving suits and two strobe lights, but no sign of anyone on board the ship.

An Alaska Marine Highway System ferry carrying more than 100 passengers was diverted to the boat’s last known location, state officials said. According to Sam Dapcevich, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, the ferry Hubbard was en route from Tenakee Springs, Angoon and Kake back to Juneau with about two dozen crew members and 110 passengers when the call came in.

“They heard a brief distress call from the Wind Walker that the boat was capsizing and they were trying to get into a life raft,” he said. “No further transmissions were heard.”

Tamara Jack, a passenger on the ferry, said the captain announced shortly after leaving Tenakee Springs that the ship was being diverted for a Mayday call. The passengers had all gathered, Jack said in a message. “Even though we didn’t know everyone, we formed a circle, held hands and prayed.”

Many passengers stood at the icy windows and looked out, she said.

Jack, who was from Kake, said the ferry’s crew took turns keeping watch outside as the boat’s horn sounded because of the rough weather.

The ferry captain described 50-knot winds from the north, driving snow, freezing spray and waves of 6 to 8 feet, Dapcevich said. “The captain told me visibility was almost zero.”

The Hubbard was able to see the Wind Walker’s location via a ship tracking system, but lost that signal at 12:18 a.m. – eight minutes after the first mayday call, he said. They notified the Coast Guard of the location.

The ferry arrived in the area and began a grid search around 1 a.m. under Coast Guard coordination, Dapcevich said.

The Hubbard remained in position until it was released at 10 a.m., he said, adding that the ferry captain praised the crew’s professionalism in difficult conditions.

“It’s just tragic, a terrible situation,” Dapcevich said. “It’s good that we were out there, but unfortunately we couldn’t find any survivors.”