US Edition
Western Alaska Hunting Party Rescued After Being Trapped on Sea Ice for Nearly 2 Days, Officials Say
The crew used multiple communication devices as rescuers flew more than 800 miles in near-zero visibility, blowing snow and icing conditions.
- On Sunday, a United States Coast Guard aircrew rescued three adults and one child from an 18-foot vessel trapped on a Bering Sea ice floe approximately 10 miles west of Chefornak, Alaska.
- Alaska State Troopers reported to the Coast Guard on Saturday that the hunting party had been stranded for more than 24 hours, trapped by shifting ice that prevented them from reaching shore.
- Coast Guard crews from Kodiak Island deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and HC-130 Hercules plane, reaching the party at about 5 a.m. Sunday. The group carried multiple communication devices, aiding rescuers in locating the vessel.
- "It was a long, difficult night," Lt. Alexis Chavarria-Aguilar, pilot-in-command for the helicopter, said. The crew transported all four people safely to Chefornak with no injuries reported.
- Chavarria-Aguilar described the mission as one of the most challenging his crew had faced, flying over 800 miles through near-zero visibility, mountainous terrain, and icing conditions in Western Alaska.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Anchorage Daily News
Western Alaska hunting party rescued after being trapped on sea ice for nearly 2 days, officials say
The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued three adults and one child on a subsistence seal hunt about 10 miles west of Chefornak on Sunday morning after their 18-foot vessel became trapped on an ice floe.
4 rescued, including child, after hunting party gets stuck on ice floe in Alaska: Coast Guard
A still from a U.S. Coast Guard video showing the rescue of four people who became trapped on an ice floe during a seal hunting expedition naer Chefornak, Alaska, on April 12, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard) (ALASKA) — Four people, including a child, who got trapped on an ice floe during a seal hunting expedition in Alaska were safely rescued, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, calling it one of the most “challenging missions” the helicopter crew has…
Coast Guard Rescues 4 from Vessel Trapped in Ice
APRIL 16, 2026 — The Coast Guard rescued three adults and one child from an 18-foot vessel trapped on an ice floe approximately 10 miles west of Chefornak, Sunday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center received a report at 4:24 p.m. Saturday from the Alaska State Troopers that a group of four people on a subsistence seal hunting expedition required assistance after being trapped on the ice for over 24 hours. The hunting…
The Coast Guard had to face extreme conditions this Sunday, April 12, to save a group of people trapped on a pack ice.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 87% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
