Rescue helicopter crashes in Bering Sea
A US coastguard rescue helicopter ferrying crew members from a powerless bulk freighter that was drifting toward shore crashed into the Bering Sea, and six of the aircraft’s 10 passengers were still missing in the rough and frigid waters.
The fuel-laden ship later ran aground in south-western Alaska and broke in two, and the coastguard was responding to a possible spill near a sensitive wildlife habitat.
The ship, the Selendang Ayu, is owned by Singapore-based IMC Group and is registered under a Malaysian flag. Its crew was Filipino and Indian, the US coastguard said.
The other four helicopter passengers – three coastguard personnel and one crew member – were picked up by another helicopter participating in the rescue, the coastguard said.
They were taken to Dutch Harbour on the island for medical treatment. There was no immediate word of their condition.
The search continued yesterday for the six freighter crew members still in the Bering Sea, where the water temperature was about 6C (43 F) and the waves were as high as 20 feet.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
