Authorities have found the bodies of five clam diggers who went missing off Alaska while in a 22-foot skiff. The skiff was overloaded and swamped due to rough seas and strong winds, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers also say that only one of the five found was wearing a life jacket. There was no indication of what safety or communication equipment was aboard the skiff.

The bodies were found southwest of Kalgin Island in Cook Inlet, just off Polly Creek where the diggers were harvesting clams. The men who died are 34-year-old Jose Sandoval of Bakersville, CA; 36-year-old Avelino Garcia of Oregon; 24-year-old Jose Revera of Los Angeles; 31-year-old Ramon Valdiva of Oregon; and 42-year-old Roberto Ramirez of an unknown residence.

The five were contract workers for Pacific Alaska Shellfish, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacific Seafood Group. These workers' families may, legally speaking, be in the "twilight zone" regarding their legal rights. They may be covered by workers' compensation or the Jones Act.