Five people are missing after a crabbing vessel sank off the coast of the Alaskan peninsula overnight Tuesday. According to the United States Coast Guard, two other people have been rescued since the F/V (Fishing Vessel) Scandies Rose sank near Sutwik Island in the Gulf of Alaska.
A mayday call was heard around 10 p.m. local time. Forty mph winds had caused treacherous sailing conditions, including 15- to 20-foot waves and reduced visibility. The Coast Guard has been using a Jayhawk helicopter and a Hercules airplane to search a wide swath of the chilly sea for potential additional survivors,
Coast Guard spokeswoman Melissa McKenzie said that officials don’t yet know the cause of the Scandies Rose’s sinking. “Right now, our primary focus is trying to find the five people who are still missing. Once the search-and-rescue aspect of this has concluded, then we will start focusing on the investigation side of it,” she told the station. The two individuals who were rescued have been taken to a Kodiak hospital where they remain in stable condition.
