Coast Guard: 4 dead, 1 missing, 42 rescued from sinking boat in Alaska

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Four crew members died Sunday and another was missing after a Seattle-based fishing boat began sinking in high seas off Alaska's Aleutian Islands, the Coast Guard said. The dead were among 47 crew members who abandoned ship after the 56-meter Alaska Ranger developed problems. Forty-two crew members were recovered safely, but a search was continuing for the missing person, said Chief Petty Officer Barry Lane. The vessel started taking on water shortly before 3 a.m. after losing control of its rudder 193 kilometers west of Dutch Harbor, which is on Unalaska Island. All those on board were heading to Dutch Harbor in a Coast Guard cutter and the Alaska Ranger's sister ship, the Alaska Warrior. The vessel took part in the rescue operation along with two Coast Guard helicopters, used to pluck crew members from life rafts, Lane said.