AST: Coast Guard rescues six stranded hunters on Saint Lawrence Island

UPDATE:

It took a search party about 7 hours to locate six stranded seal hunters, the Coast Guard wrote in a news release Sunday.

According to the Coast Guard, five adults and one child were found 25 miles southeast of Savoonga on Saint Lawrence Island, all were not properly dressed for the cold and did not have shelter.

The Coast Guard says the hunting party departed camp on an all-terrain vehicle Saturday but weather prevented them from returning.

“Our crew did a great job navigating through poor weather,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tom Huntley, aircraft commander of the Jayhawk rescue helicopter.” It was a great feeling to return the adults and young boy safely to their village.”

They were found and transported back to Savoonga airport by 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

Original:

Troopers say six hunters were rescued Saturday on Saint Lawrence Island.

A.S.T. says they got the report at around 7:46 p.m. Saturday night of hunters stranded on the Island due to weather conditions.

The U.S. Coast Guard deployed, rescued, and returned all six hunters to Savoonga, troopers say.