Ships rush to rescue 46 from sinking boat off Alaska islands

Two ships heard the U.S. Coast Guard's emergencycall to help a sinking fishing boat and rushed to rescue 46 crew
members who had hopped into life rafts off Alaska's AleutianIslands.

There were no reports of injuries as the vessels plucked the crewfrom the Bering Sea on Tuesday evening, Coast Guard Petty OfficerLauren Steenson said. The ships then began a 13-hour voyage to aport in Adak, Alaska.

When the 67-metreAlaska Juris started taking on water, all crewmembers donned survival suits and got into three rafts. An emergencybeacon alerted the Coast Guard to the sinking ship.

The Spar Canis and the Vienna Express rushed to the scene inresponse to the agency's emergency broadcast for help, as did twoother merchant vessels.

"The good Samaritans' willingness to respond ... was paramountto getting the Alaska Juris crew to safety," said Lt. Greg Isbell,Coast Guard District 17 command duty officer.

Video footage showed one of the bright orange life rafts floatingsome distance from the stricken boat, while another appearedtethered to it. The Coast Guard footage shot from an aircraft alsoshowed a merchant ship in the distance, apparently headed toward theboat.

The agency diverted a cutter and dispatched two C-130 transportplanes and two helicopters to the sinking ship near Kiska Island,which is about 1,100 kilometres west of Dutch Harbor, one of the nation'sbusiest fishing ports.

Cause of trouble unknown

It wasn't immediately known what caused the fishing boat to begintaking on water, and that will be part of the Coast Guardinvestigation, Steenson said. Conditions on the Bering Sea werecalm, but there was low visibility because of heavy fog.

It's not the first trouble the Alaska Juris has encountered inrecent years.

In March 2012, a fisherman aboard the boat died after a cablesnapped and struck him in the head. Days later, another fishermanwas treated for a head injury after a cable snapped again and hithim.

In May 2012, the Alaska Juris requested help from the Coast Guardafter three crew members were exposed to ammonia from a leak. Theagency flew the trio to Cold Bay, Alaska.