A fishing boat apparently capsized in choppy seas and weather close to Juneau, the capital of Alaska, and the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Sunday that it is looking for five persons.
Around 12:10 a.m., the crew of the Wind Walker, a boat of about 50 feet, sent a mayday call stating that the vessel was overturning, but the Coast Guard’s efforts to obtain additional information from the crew were unsuccessful, according to a Coast Guard news release. Southwest of Juneau, on the waters near Point Couverden, the Wind Walker capsized.
According to the news release, the Coast Guard launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and a response boat when the crew of a ferry called the AMHS Hubbard heard the transmission and arrived on the scene first. Two strobe lights and seven cold-water immersion suits were discovered in the search area’s water.
Responders encountered 6-foot seas, 60-mph gusts, and a lot of snow. A winter storm warning was in effect for a portion of the Gulf of Alaska region.
Although investigators have not yet been able to verify the number, the Coast Guard claimed that persons who know the crew of the Wind Walker, which started in the Icy Strait about south of Point Couverden, reported that there were five people on board.
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Jesse Bedayn is a member of the Statehouse News Initiative’s Associated Press/Report for America corps. A nonprofit national service initiative called Report for America places reporters in local newsrooms to explore topics that aren’t often covered.
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