Search ongoing for Alaska ship's missing crew amid heavy snow, 60-mph winds
The search for the missing crew continues on Monday. Local weather conditions include heavy snow, winds between 45 and 60 mph and 6-foot seas. A Winter Storm Watch is in place for Hoonah, Alaska, along the Icy Strait.
Sailor and his cat rescued from sailboat off Alaska coast
FILE VIDEO:A man and his cat were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard Oct. 25 after becoming adrift amid rough seas off the southern Alaska coast. (Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard /TMX)
Coast Guard teams and Good Samaritans continue to search for at least five people after a fishing ship overturned on Sunday off the coast of southeastern Alaska during gale-force winds and heavy snow.
The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska received a Mayday call from the Wind Walker fishing vessel at 12:10 a.m. The crew reported the 50-foot ship was overturning. An emergency position-indicating radio beacon alert placed the vessel south of Point Couverden in the Icy Strait.
File photo: Halibut island, Icy Strait, Alaska. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
The Coast Guard Southeast Alaska Sector issued an urgent marine broadcast and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was deployed from the Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, along with a 45-foot response boat and a crew from Juneau to search the area. A ferry vessel AMHS Hubbard overheard the broadcast and arrived on scene first to help with the search, according to the Coast Guard.
People familiar with the vessel told Coast Guard officials that five people were onboard, but that number has not been confirmed.
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The Coast Guard said seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights were located in the water.
The National Weather Service in Fairbanks issued a Winter Storm Warning for parts of southeastern Alaska, including Glacier Bay National Park and Juneau. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Hoonah, the nearest town along the Icy Straight where the Wind Walker ship went down.
Snow, wind and freezing rain are forecast through Monday morning for the watch and warning areas.
The search for the missing crew continues on Monday. Local weather conditions include heavy snow, winds between 45 and 60 mph and 6-foot seas.
As of Monday morning, none of the individuals onboard the Wind Walker have been found.