Two Dead in Barge Confined Space Accident

0:00This is Cory with the story, here with your quick two-minute update from Anchorage News today. Two crew members died Sunday while working in a confined space on a freight barge near Ketchikan, Alaska. The victims were identified as been Fowler and Sidney Moharovich. Their bodies were recovered one on Sunday and the other on Tuesday. The barge, named Wainho, was mored in Scow Arm about 25 miles northwest of the city. The trouble started just after 9 a.m. when the crew of the nearby tugboat Chuck Shee Sea lost contact with the four workers. That tug crew managed to pull two of them to safety before help arrived. The U.S. Coast Guard quickly sent a response boat from Ketchikan along with volunteers from the South Tongue Spire Department. Those two survivors are now in stable condition and the focus has turned to the human cost of these jobs. Several fire chief Jerry Kiffer noted the barge was later docked in Ward Co for further work. Coast Guard leaders expressed deep sympathy to the families, calling it a stark reminder

1:00of hidden dangers and tight spaces on vessels. Officials have not released details on exactly where the crew was working or what caused the deaths. The investigation is ongoing to figure out what went wrong and how to stop it from happening again. Keep following this as more comes to life from the Coast Guard and local teams.