Search Underway for Two Missing After Boat Sinks in Bering Sea

Mekoryuk, Alaska – Two men are missing after a boat carrying three people sank in the Bering Sea near Mekoryuk on Monday night, according to an update from the Alaska State Troopers. The incident occurred when the 10-foot Ocean Pro boat “sank in rough water conditions” in Ikathleewik Bay, southeast of Mekoryuk. The sinking was first reported around 9 p.m.

One of the passengers, a 19-year-old man whose name has not been released, was able to swim to safety and reached shore. However, two men—identified as Samuel Shavings, 72, and Albert Williams, 65—remain missing.

Local boaters and the U.S. Coast Guard immediately launched a search for the missing men overnight. On Tuesday, the search efforts expanded with the addition of another Coast Guard vessel and an Alaska Rescue Coordination Center C-130 plane. Authorities are doing everything possible to locate Shavings and Williams amidst challenging sea conditions.

Mekoryuk, a small village with a population of around 300 people located on Nunivak Island in Western Alaska, is facing a tense situation as the community awaits news on the missing individuals. Updates from the Alaska State Troopers are expected as search and rescue operations continue.

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