Searchers in western Alaska look for 7 missing boaters

Quinhagak Tribal Police Chief John Peter said a 22-foot (6.7-meter) aluminum boat with three men left the village Oct. 17 and headed to the community of Bethel, where they picked up four more people. The group was last seen Oct. 20 on Eek Island, the closest community to Quinhagak.

Search teams have looked in western Alaska for more than a week without success for seven boaters who went missing while seal hunting. Quinhagak Tribal Police Chief John Peter said a 22-foot (6.7-meter) aluminum boat with three men left the village Oct. 17 and headed to the community of Bethel, where they picked up four more people.

The group was last seen Oct. 20 on Eek Island, the closest community to Quinhagak. They had about 10 gallons (38 litres) of gas when they left Eek Island, but Peter said that might not have been enough for the trip back to Quinhagak because the boat was weighed down by the passengers and other objects.

The boat could have capsized, Peter said. Searchers joined the effort from Eek and from the nearby communities of Kongiganak and Goodnews Bay.

Former tribal police officer Jerry Brown organized searchers in Quinhagak on Tuesday. "Today we're trying to get some boats to head down south along the coast line and up north to see if we can find any kind of debris, and check the creeks before the tide goes out," Brown said.