Two die inside cabin after boat capsizes in frigid Alaska waters, officials say
On the evening of Jan. 9, off the coast of Alaska, a boat capsized. There were five people on board, and the water near Chichagof Island was 44 degrees.
At 4:48 pm, the Sitka Police Department called the Coast Guard with word of an overturned vessel west of Juneau, according to a news release. The Coast Guard and partner agencies rushed to the scene.
In icy water rescues, timing is of the essence. In water that’s 44 degrees, humans can only survive one to three hours.
About 25 minutes after the initial call, a helicopter hovered above the wreck. Three of the five passengers were in the water below. It took the helicopter crew 35 minutes to pull the three to safety. They were rushed to the Sitka airport to await EMS care.
But questions as to where the other two passengers were remained unanswered. The Coast Guard searched into the night and the following morning. The next day, the fire department came to the scene and deployed an underwater drone to look for the others.
As the drone searched the boat, it entered the cabin and found the bodies of the missing passengers.
“It was with a heavy heart that we received news about the two people inside the cabin from our Sitka Fire Department search partners,” Coast Guard Capt. Darwin Jensen said in the release. “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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