One person survived after three individuals went missing from an 18-foot fishing vessel off the Alaskan coast, the United States Coast Guard confirmed Tuesday. Rescue crews found the sole survivor, a 15-year-old, clinging to the overturned hull Monday morning and experiencing symptoms of hypothermia. Both other mariners aboard were recovered dead.
The search began Sunday evening, when Alaska State Troopers notified the Coast Guard that the vessel was overdue. The boat had been expected back by 3 a.m. Sunday. Officials said weather and poor visibility made any overnight launch impossible, and the operation did not begin until Monday morning.
The overturned skiff was located approximately 4 miles east of St. Lawrence Island. An aircrew spotted the teenager still at the vessel and deployed a raft carrying survival equipment. Officials described the 15-year-old as being in the midst of a medical emergency at the time. A good Samaritan vessel in the area then moved in, pulling him from the water and recovering the bodies of both deceased mariners. All three were transported to Nome, Alaska.
The Coast Guard did not identify the two mariners or name those aboard the good Samaritan vessel. The agency's account did not specify what caused the skiff to capsize.