U.S. Coast Guard rescues hikers stranded on Alaskan volcano
The hikers were stranded at approximately 2,000 feet of elevation, and one of them was reported to have a leg injury.
A photo shows U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew in Alaska, where they rescued two hikers stranded on Makushin Volcano in Unalaska on April 26, 2026. (Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard Arctic | Facebook)
Two hikers stranded on an Alaskan island were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center in Juneau received a request at around 8:30 a.m. April 26 from Alaska State Troopers seeking assistance rescuing two hikers stranded on Makushin Volcano in Unalaska.
The hikers were stranded at approximately 2,000 feet of elevation, and one of them was reported to have a leg injury.
The Coast Guard launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak at around 11 a.m., and the crew stopped in Cold Bay to refuel before continuing on to the hikers.
The crew arrived on scene at around 5 p.m. and evacuated both hikers. They were transported to Dutch Harbor where emergency medical services were standing by.
"To put the scale of this operation into perspective, the distance our aircrew flew is roughly equivalent to launching a helicopter from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to conduct a rescue in North Carolina,” said Jennifer Whitcomb, the search and rescue program manager. “This mission highlights the incredible operational reach and endurance required of our Alaska-based crews to answer the call for help."
Reporting by TMX
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