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A search is currently underway for five people who went missing after a fishing vessel capsized near Couverden Point, an island in Haines Borough, Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard and Good Samaritans initiated the search after receiving a distress call from the 50-foot fishing boat, the Wind Walker, at 12:10 a.m. on Sunday (November 30). The boat's emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was activated, pinpointing the distress signal just south of Point Couverden in Icy Strait.
The Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska issued an urgent marine information broadcast, deploying an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station Juneau to search the area. The ferry vessel AMHS Hubbard also responded, arriving on the scene ahead of other search assets. Despite the recovery of seven cold-water immersion suits and two strobe lights in the water, there has been no sign of the missing individuals. Reports suggest there were five people aboard the vessel, though this number has not been confirmed.
The search efforts have been hampered by heavy snow, winds of 45-60 mph, and six-foot seas.