The search continues for two peoplethat went missing Tuesday night after they abandoned a sinking boat north of Unalaska Bay.
On Wednesday, Petty Officer Meredith Manning said a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and three volunteer vessels combed waters around the island, but they found no sign of the crew members missing from the motor vessel E?xito.
"The Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley searched through the night," she said. "Now, the plan is for the helicopter they have onboard to conduct a search."
That search began Thursday at first light, focusing on the area around Priest Rock and into Constantine and Kalekta Bays. But Manning said she's not sure how long the Coast Guard will continue looking.
"That can depend on the temperatures outside and how long the crews can be out," she said. "There are a lot of different factors that go into it. But right now, our primary concern is continuing to search until we're able to find these guys and bring them back."
The Coast Guard received reports that the vessel was taking on water Tuesday around 9:30 p.m.
Within the hour, Manning said a Good Samaritan ship had rescued the Exito's three other crew members, who were checked at the clinic and repo?rted no injuries.
While it's still unclear w?hy the vessel went down, Manning said the Exito was making a cargo run between Unalaska and Akutan before it ultimately sank four nautical miles north of Priest Rock. Records show the 117-foot steel ship was built in 1956.
The rescued crew members are in Anchorage now, along with vessel owner Tom Robinson of the Unalaska company Aleutian Endeavors LLC. According to officials with the Marine Safety Detachment Unit in Dutch Harbor, they're there to handle business concerns following the sinking and meet with investigators at Coast Guard Sector Anchorage.
