Search Suspended For 5 Missing Fishermen On Sunken Crab Boat

SEATTLE, WA — The Coast Guard on Thursday suspended a search for five crew members who remain missing after a crab-fishing vessel sank on New Year's Eve in waters southwest of Kodiak Island, Alaska. Two other crew members of the Scandies Rose were rescued hours after the boat capsized and sank Tuesday.

The Scandies Rose was based in Dutch Harbor, Alaska and managed by Seattle-based Mattsen Management. It spent the off-season docked in Ballard, KING5 reported.

"The decision to suspend an active search and rescue case is never easy, and it's only made after careful consideration of a myriad of factors,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. Matthew Bell said in a statement. "Our deepest condolences to the friends and families impacted by this tragedy."

A memorial page for the Scandies Rose has been set up on Facebook, featuring tributes by those who knew the boat and its crew.

The Coast Guard said its search for the missing fishermen lasted 20 hours and spanned 1,400 square miles, employing helicopters, airplanes and a search boat.

A mayday call was made to the Coast Guard's Juneau command center Tuesday evening, and the boat sank at about 10 p.m. A Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived around 2 a.m. Wednesday and rescued two of the survivors from a life raft.

They told rescuers that they were the only two crew members who managed to escape in a raft, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Initially hypothermic, the survivors have since been released from a hospital.

The Coast Guard hasn't released details on the circumstances of the accident, saying an investigation is ongoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.