The U.S. Coast Guard said Sunday it’s searching for five people after a fishing boat reportedly capsized in cold seas off Point Couverden, southwest of Alaska’s capital of Juneau.
The Coast Guard announced the search Sunday morning, and responders could face tough conditions because part of the region, located in the Gulf of Alaska, is under a winter storm warning.
Good Samaritans and various Coast Guard units are part of the search, according to the agency.
Coast Guard stations received a Mayday call around 12:10 a.m. Sunday from the crew aboard the “Wind Walker’ ship that they were overturning, according to agency officials.
Those at the station tried to get more information but never heard back.
The ship is about 50 feet long.
A nearby ferry heard the mayday call, offered to help and was first at the scene, according to the Coast Guard.
Rescue crews found seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights in the water, but not the five missing people. The names of those missing have not been released.
Temperatures in Juneau hit a high of around 22 degrees on Sunday. Winds were up to 60 mph with 6-foot seas.
