ANCHORAGE, Alaska _ A search was underway Wednesday for five crew members of crabbing boat F/V Scandies Rose, which sank Tuesday night south of Sutwik Island, west of Kodiak.
Two crew members were air-rescued from a life raft near the vessel's last known location, about 170 miles southwest of Air Station Kodiak. Another life raft in the area was found empty, said U.S. Coast Guard District 17 spokeswoman Melissa McKenzie.
The crew placed a mayday call around 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Coast Guard said. McKenzie said she didn't know what time the two crew members were found or what their condition was.
McKenzie said investigators don't know what might have caused the ship to sink. Efforts right now are focused on finding the remaining five fishermen; then an investigation will launch into causation. She said families of most of the crew have been notified.
McKenzie said the weather last night included winds in excess of 40 mph, 15- to 20-foot waves and one mile visibility. She didn't know what the crew were fishing for.
The U.S. Coast Guard is using a Jayhawk helicopter and Hercules airplane to search a 300-square-mile area for the remaining five.
The Scandies Rose is a 130-foot steel crabbing vessel built in 1978.
