Evening light over Icy Strait viewed from Chichagof Island.Photo:Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
In a press release posted on Wednesday, theU.S. Coast Guardsaid they dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter air crew from Air Station Sitka — which is just south of where the incident took place — after watchstanders at the Sector Southeast Alaska command center received the initial notification about the overturned watercraft from the Sitka Police Department.
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft and MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter stands ready for deployment in Cordova, Alaska, May 13, 2016.Alamy
Alamy
Two Coast Guard Cutters and an HC-130 from Air Station Kodiak also responded Tuesday night to help track the drifting vessel and search the area for the two missing people. Air Station Sitka conducted additional searches Tuesday night and Wednesday mornings, the Coast Guard said.
By Wednesday afternoon, the Sitka Fire Department and Alaska Wildlife Troopers used an unmanned underwater drone to find the two individuals, who were located inside the cabin of the vessel.
The Coast Guard added that operations to recover the bodies will begin after conditions at the scene improve.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It was with a heavy heart that we received news about the two people inside the cabin from our Sitka Fire Department search partners,” Coast Guard Capt. Darwin Jensen, commander of Sector Southeast Alaska, said in the news release.
He added, “We send our support and strength to the family members at this time and thank our partner agencies for their assistance in this case.”
The identities of the victims were not publicly disclosed in the Coast Guard’s news release. In an email to PEOPLE Thursday, a Coast Guard spokesperson said that Alaska State and Wildlife Troopers have the lead in the investigation of the case.
source: people.com
