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The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

Coast Guard Suspends Search For Man Overboard South Of Sand Point

Courtesy of Hans Rosenkranz/MarineTraffic.com

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a man who reportedly fell overboard from an oil tanker traveling past the Aleutian Islands.

Air crews spent 14 hours searching for the 22-year-old mariner, who went missing from the M/V Challenge Prelude on Sunday afternoon.

"Due to the length of time, and with the extreme environment, the District 17 Command Center made the call to suspend the search," said Petty Officer Lauren Dean.

Coast Guard responders covered almost 700 square miles in their search, which began south of Sand Point.                                                                               

Dean said the tanker also retraced part of its own route in an effort to locate the man, whose name has not been released.

"Situations like this are never easy," she said. "Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends. It is a tragedy."

The Challenge Prelude was traveling from South Korea to Anchorage when the man went missing. It’s unclear why he fell overboard.

Laura Kraegel reported for KUCB from 2016 until 2020. She was KUCB's news director starting in 2019. We are proud to have her back in the spring of 2023 filling in as an interim reporter for KUCB.
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