JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) – The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for five people reported missing after the fishing vessel Wind Walker capsized in the Gulf of Alaska.
The U.S. Coast Guard District 17 released a statement Monday morning saying it was suspending the search, which lasted nearly 24 hours and covered 108 square nautical miles.
The distress call came in at 12:10 a.m. Sunday that a 50-foot fishing boat was overturning, KTUU reports. An emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) registered to the Wind Walker was activated, pinpointing the distress signal just south of Point Couverden, the southern tip of a small island in Southeast Alaska.
Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska issued an urgent marine information broadcast, deploying an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka and a 45-foot Response Boat from Station Juneau to search the area. The ferry vessel AMHS Hubbard also responded, arriving ahead of other search assets.
Petty Officer John Hightower spoke with KTUU on Sunday regarding ongoing efforts, saying the Coast Guard Cutter Healy was their main search platform at the time.
“They have the highest resiliency for the weather in that area. We’ve been cycling out crews from Coast Guard Station Juneau,” said Hightower over the phone. “With their smaller boats, the weather can be really rough on the boats out there.”
Search crews recovered seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights in the water but found no sign of the missing individuals.
Despite what Hightower called “online rumors,” no passengers have been found so far.
The U.S. Coast Guard posted to X addressing the same false claims Sunday, saying: “We are aware of reports on social media claiming individuals from this incident have been located. At this time, the CG has not confirmed these claims and is continuing search efforts.”
Hightower stated the distress signal from the EPIRB provided their most recent location, and crews were basing their search efforts upon the information provided. However, passengers were still unaccounted for after crews located the physical beacon.
Heavy snow, winds of 45 to 60 miles per hour and six-foot seas created challenging conditions for the search efforts.
Hightower said late Sunday search efforts were expected to continue throughout the night, but ultimately, Search and Rescue command would make the decision to suspend the search.
“We’re exhausting all the available resources we have to try to find the crew members and anyone else who was on board and try to bring them home safely,” Hightower said.
After the search was suspended, Chief Warrant Officer James Koon, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska, released a statement saying he stands in sorrow and solidarity with the friends and family of the people they were not able to find.
“I am deeply grateful for the swiftness of our crews and other search assets who came together to amplify our efforts and completely saturate our search areas. Our collective hearts are with the friends and families of the who are experiencing the effects from this loss,” Koon said.
Anyone with information about the missing individuals or the incident is urged to contact Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska at (907) 463-2980.
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