Two people are dead after a boat capsized near Sitka on Tuesday night. Three others survived.
A helicopter from Air Station Sitka responded to the scene at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday near Chichagof Island, north of Sitka, according to a Coast Guard news release.
Three people were rescued from the water by about 5:50 p.m. The Coast Guard cutters Douglas Denman and Kukui, along with an HC-130 aircraft from Air Station Kodiak, also responded Tuesday night, tracked the vessel’s drift, and searched the surrounding area for two people who remained missing.
A team from the Sitka Fire Department arrived early Wednesday afternoon with a state trooper and used an underwater drone to find the bodies of the two victims in the cabin of the vessel, the release said. Recovery operations will begin when conditions improve.
Weather in the area was reported at 8-10 knot winds, with 9-foot seas and below-freezing temperatures.
The three people recovered from the water were flown to medical personnel waiting at the Sitka airport.
This story will be updated.
