Coast Guard: dozens rescued off coast of Alaska
July 27, 2016
Coast Guard aircrews, assisted by private vessels, responded to the crew members on Tuesday near Kiska Island, part of the Aleutian Islands chain. Kiska Island is roughly equidistant between the eastern extremities of mainland Russia and the western edge of mainland Alaska.
The 46 people stranded were successfully transferred to good samaritan vessels Spar Canis and Vienna Express. They were subsequently taken to the nearby Adak Island. No one was reported injured.
The Coast Guard said it received an electronic signal around 11 a.m. local time (2200 UTC/GMT) alerting them to where the ship, the Alaska Juris, went down. The crew was forced to don survival suits and board three rafts after the ship began to take on water.
Samaritans' willingness to help 'paramount'
The two good samaritan ships were the first to arrive on the scene, after which a Coast Guard cutter, two transport planes and two helicopters were also sent to help.
"The crew of the Alaska Juris did the right thing by calling for help, putting on their immersion suits and safely abandoning the ship," said Lt. Greg Isbell, according to a statement on the Coast Guard's website. "Emergencies can occur at any time in Alaska's vast and extreme environment, and the good samaritans' willingness to respond to the UMIB was paramount to getting the Alaska Juris crew to safety."
Authorities are still not sure what caused the Alaska Juris to take on water.