Additional Coverage:
- Coast Guard launches search for five missing people after boat capsizes off Alaska coast (newsbreak.com)
Five people are missing after a fishing boat capsized near Point Couverden, Alaska, the US Coast Guard said Sunday.
The search operation faces challenges as the Gulf of Alaska area is experiencing a winter storm warning. Rescuers, including the Coast Guard and good Samaritans, are involved in the efforts.
The Coast Guard received a Mayday call around midnight Sunday from the “Wind Walker” crew, who reported the boat was capsizing. Contact was lost after the call.
The vessel is approximately 50 feet long. A nearby ferry responded to the mayday call and arrived at the scene first.
Rescue crews have located immersion suits and strobe lights in the water, but the missing individuals have not yet been found. Their identities have not been released.
Weather conditions at the time included temperatures around 22 degrees Fahrenheit, winds reaching 60 mph, and 6-foot seas.