5 crew members feared dead after Alaska fishing boat sinks

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Five crew members missing after a crab fishing vessel sank in the frigid waters off Alaska were feared dead after authorities called off a search for those working in the one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S.

Two other crew members were rescued after the disaster Tuesday, telling authorities they were the only ones who made it into a life raft, the Anchorage Daily News reported. They were hypothermic but expected to recover.

The Coast Guard said it used helicopters, planes and a boat to look for the missing crew members for 20 hours before calling off the search late Wednesday because they were not likely to survive. Authorities have not released their names.

The boat, named the Scandies Rose, was carrying a load of crabbing pots for the start of the winter season, Dan Mattsen, a partner in the boat that is managed by Seattle-Based Mattsen Management, told the Seattle Times.

Crabbing boats endure perilous conditions in Alaska waters that have been immortalized in the Discovery Channel reality show “Deadliest Catch." Workers face dangers like huge waves, freezing conditions and massive crab pots that could crush them.

Gary Knagin of Kodiak, Alaska, the brother-in-law of the boat's skipper, Gary Cobban, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he doesn’t think the five crew members will be found alive.

“We know the risks involved in this profession, and I’m not holding out hope,” said Knagin, who worked on a crab boat for 30 years in the Bering Sea. “I’ve seen this too many times. There’s a 13-hour window in those conditions, and they passed that.”

Ashley Boggs of Peru, Indiana, said she was due to marry crew member Brock Rainey after he returned from Alaska and hasn't given up hope.

“I’m just praying and...