Alaska Juris Sinks, 46 People Rescued

 

Forty-six crewmen from the Seattle-based fishing vessel Alaska Juris have been rescued from lifeboats near the Aleutians, but the fate of their trawler is unclear.

 

There were no reports of any injuries as the crew members were transferred from life rafts to the merchant ships, in a fairly calm seas, Coast Guard Petty Officer Lauren Steenson said.

 

Shortly after 9 p.m. Juneau time, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that the cargo ships Spar Canis and Vienna Express had successfully plucked the trawler's crew from the ocean with the assistance of aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak.

 

The Good Samaritan ships Spar Canis and the Vienna Express rushed to the scene in response to a Coast Guard's emergency broadcast for help, as did two other merchant vessels, says AP.

 

Two others civilian ships and a Coast Guard cutter were en route. The Coast Guard is also sending two helicopters, and it has a military transport plane in the vicinity.