Of the four crewmembers involved in the incident, two are deceased. The other two crewmembers are reported to be in stable condition.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Southeast Alaska command center in Juneau received a mayday call at 9:14 a.m. Sunday that the crew of the tug vessel Chukchi Sea lost contact with four crewmembers inside a confined space aboard the barge Waynehoe, which was moored near Skowl Arm, approximately 25 miles northwest of Ketchikan.
Coast Guard watchstanders directed the launch of a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan with members from the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department aboard to respond to the incident.
While the Coast Guard was en route, the crew of the tug recovered one deceased crewmember and assisted two others out of the confined space.
To ensure a safe and thorough response, the barge was towed to a pier in Ketchikan. In a coordinated, multi-agency effort, the body of the second deceased crewmember was recovered from the confined space on Tuesday.
The cause of this incident is under investigation.
