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Coast Guard is searching for five people after a fishing boat capsized in Alaska

Posted on by Taylor Reeves
Coast Guard is searching for five people after a fishing boat capsized in Alaska

The Coast Guard and a group of good Samaritans were searching for five people who were missing after a fishing boat reportedly capsized near Couverden Point, Alaska, the military department said Sunday.

The crew aboard the 50-foot-long fishing boat Wind Walker reported around 12:10 a.m. Sunday that the vessel was capsizing. But the Coast Guard’s attempts to obtain further information from the crew were unsuccessful.

The Coast Guard dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka and a 45-foot response boat from Station Juneau to comb the area where the fishing vessel is believed to have capsized, according to a news release.

At the same time, a ferry boat named AMHS Hubbard heard the transmission and volunteered to help, the Coast Guard news release said.

According to the press release, emergency services have so far recovered seven cold-water diving suits and two flash lights from the search area. People involved in the effort are facing heavy snow, winds of up to 60 miles per hour and swells of 6 feet.

The Coast Guard said people familiar with the Wind Walker’s crew reported there were five people on board. However, this number has not been confirmed and could change based on new information.

The fishing boat was built south of Point Couverden in the Icy Strait off the southeast coast of Alaska.

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