Three people were rescued but two people are dead, the U.S. Coast Guard says, after a boat overturned near an island in the Alaskan panhandle this week.
The coast guard said the vessel overturned Tuesday around 4:50 p.m., near Chichagof Island, which is around 400 kilometres north of Haida Gwaii and 70 km west of Juneau.
A rescue helicopter was dispatched from the coast guard base of Air Station Sitka, with crews arriving at the scene around 5:15 p.m., and the three people being pulled from the cold waters by 5:50 p.m.
The coast guard also said two ships, both cutters, also responded, along with a Lockheed HC-130, with the vessel’s drift being tracked.
Additional searches were conducted Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for the two missing people.
Weather conditions at the time included winds of eight to 10 knots, nine-foot seas, a water temperature of 44 F (6.6 C) and an air temperature of 31 F (-0.5 C).
The nearby town of Sitka — located on Baranof Island, just below Chichagof Island — sent its fire department, along with Alaska wildlife troopers early Wednesday afternoon.
The coast guard said an unmanned underwater drone was deployed, with two bodies being found in the vessel’s cabin.
Recovery operations will commence when conditions at the scene improve.
“It was with a heavy heart that we received news about the two people inside the cabin from our Sitka Fire Department search partners,” said Coast Guard Capt. Darwin Jensen, commander of Sector Southeast Alaska.
“We send our support and strength to the family members at this time and thank our partner agencies for their assistance in this case.”
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