A Coast Guard aircraft and an oil tanker rushed toward 42 crew members who abandoned a fishing vessel after it caught fire about 1,800 miles south of Hawaii, officials said Wednesday.
The Coast Guard said it launched an HC-130 Hercules to assist the crew of the U.S.-flagged American Eagle. The aircraft was to arrive about 5 p.m. (10 p.m. ET).
A Tuvalu-flagged tanker about 90 miles away was steaming toward the American Eagle and should arrive about three hours after the aircraft, the Coast Guard said.
No injuries had been reported among the 40 crew members who abandoned the 258-foot boat at 10 a.m. Hawaiian time and got into two life rafts, three work boats and a skiff, officials said. They deployed a radio beacon.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Melissa McKenzie told CNN that the ship’s crew has a satellite phone.
The HC-130 crew could drop more life rafts, radios, flares or other equipment if needed.
“We are looking at a possible nighttime rescue by the tanker,” she said. “They (the HC-130) will probably drop flares to make it easier for the tanker to find and rescue them.”
