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Four people rescued after hunting party became stuck on an Alaska ice floe.
Summary
The U.S. Coast Guard said four people, including a child, were hoisted from an ice floe about 10 miles west of Chefornak and returned to the village with no reported injuries.
Content
Four people, including a child, were trapped on an ice floe during a subsistence seal hunting trip near Chefornak in southwestern Alaska. Alaska State Troopers reported the situation after the group had been on the ice for more than 24 hours. A Coast Guard helicopter crew reached the scene and transported all four people back to Chefornak with no reported injuries.
Known details:
- The incident occurred roughly 10 miles west of Chefornak in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region.
- Troopers notified the U.S. Coast Guard after the party had been stuck on the ice for over 24 hours; the group freed their 18-foot vessel overnight but could not reach shore because of moving ice.
- An MH-60 Jayhawk crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak hoisted the three adults and one child aboard and flew them back to Chefornak.
- The Coast Guard said the party had three forms of communication, including satellite-based systems, which aided in locating them.
Summary:
The Coast Guard described the mission as among the most challenging the crew has flown and reported that all four people were recovered without injury. Undetermined at this time.
