Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee of the Coast Guard reported that on Saturday, the agency received an alert about a 28-foot boat taking on water approximately 14 nautical miles west of Homer. Good Samaritans aboard another vessel, The Salty Sea, managed to rescue four of the eight people on board roughly 15 minutes after the Coast Guard issued a broadcast notice. Unfortunately, the remaining individuals could not be located.
The Coast Guard deployed a fixed-wing aircraft, a helicopter, and the cutter Naushon, along with other boats, to search the area. Alaska State Troopers and additional Good Samaritans also contributed to the search efforts.
Magee explained that the decision to suspend the search was made after considering factors such as weather conditions, environmental factors, and the saturation of the search area with available resources. "This decision was not made lightly," Magee said.
The missing individuals have been identified as David, Mary, Colton, and Brantley Maynard from Troy, Texas. Details about the rescued boaters were not provided by the Coast Guard or Alaska State Troopers.