UTQIAGVIK, Alaska (AP) – Local media reports that a whaling captain and a crew member from Utqiagvik died as they towed a whale back from a hunt.

The Alaska Daily News says the names of those killed Sunday had not been released as of Monday.

The Artic Sounder newspapers reports that the accident happened when the men’s boat flipped in rough water as the crew towed the whale to shore.

The Sounder reports that other nearby whalers said about a dozen other boats rushed to help. They couldn’t get the two men out of the water in time.

North Slope Borough Mayor Harry K. Brower Jr. issued a statement Monday asking the media to respect the wishes of the whaling community and Whaling Captains of Utqiagvik in not releasing more information.

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The name of a newspaper in this story has been corrected to the Alaska Daily News.

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