SAR Times Weekly — May 7, 2026

Two active searches are running this week with no resolution yet, with families waiting for news at the Grand Canyon and the Bahamas. At the same time, Ocean Viking pulled 25 people from a partially deflated boat in the Mediterranean, then watched Italian authorities assign a disembarkation port more than 800 miles from the rescue site.

🔴 Cases & Operations

Missing Grand Canyon Hiker: Family Waits as Search Enters Second Week

Karan Krishna's family is still searching after his backpack was returned to his Grand Canyon hotel on April 28, nearly ten days after his disappearance. Authorities have not publicly explained how the backpack was found or what led to his going missing.

https://people.com/family-hopes-missing-grand-canyon-hiker-still-somewhere-out-there-after-backpack-found-11968299

Coast Guard Asks for Public Help in Bahamas Disappearance

The U.S. Coast Guard is asking the public to help identify an unattended boat found in the Bahamas, part of an ongoing search for a Michigan woman missing at sea. The search has run for several days with no resolution.

Coast Guard seeks help after woman vanishes at sea

The Coast Guard needs help identifying the owner of a boat, as its search for a missing Michigan woman in the Bahamas enters its second month.

USA TODAYDrew Pittock and Amanda Lee Myers

Ocean Viking Rescues 25 from Deflating Boat; Italian Port Assignment Draws Criticism

Ocean Viking crews rescued 25 people from an overcrowded, partially deflated inflatable north of the Libyan and Maltese SAR zone border on May 2. The survivors, 13 of them minors, had spent four to five days at sea without food or water before being reached. Italian authorities then directed the vessel to Ancona, more than 800 nautical miles from the rescue site, a decision SOS Mediterénee called a prolonged punishment for already exhausted survivors. (H/T Matt)

🔴 BREAKING Hier soir, peu avant minuit, les équipes de l’Ocean Viking ont porté secours à une embarcation pneumatique en détresse surchargée, avec un flotteur dégonflé, au nord de la frontière… | SOS MEDITERRANEE France

🔴 BREAKING Hier soir, peu avant minuit, les équipes de l’Ocean Viking ont porté secours à une embarcation pneumatique en détresse surchargée, avec un flotteur dégonflé, au nord de la frontière entre les zones de recherche et de sauvetage (SAR) libyenne et maltaise. 👉 25 personnes ont été secourues : 2 femmes (dont 1 enceinte) et 13 mineurs. Tout le monde est désormais en sécurité à bord de notre navire. 👉 Elles ont passé quatre à cinq jours en mer sans nourriture ni eau, après avoir quitté Zuwara, en Libye. 👉 À leur arrivée, elles étaient épuisées, déshydratées, transies de froid, avec des brûlures causées par le carburant et le soleil. Le sauvetage en mer est une obligation légale. Personne ne devrait vivre ça. Et pourtant, ces situations dramatiques restent malheureusement une réalité en Méditerranée.

LinkedInSOS MEDITERRANEE France

Search Underway for Florida Man in Glacier National Park

Authorities are searching Glacier National Park for Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Early-May snowpack and rugged terrain complicate access and make this one of the more technically demanding wilderness searches running this week.

Search underway for missing Florida man in Glacier National Park

A search is underway in Glacier National Park for Anthony Pollio, a 33-year-old man from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

FOX 29 PhiladelphiaChris Williams

Nine Sailors Rescued After Cargo Ship Sinks Near Andros

Greek port authorities rescued nine sailors after a Vanuatu-flagged cargo ship sank north of Andros following an early-morning distress alert. All nine crew members made it out.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2026/05/07/nine-sailors-rescued-after-cargo-ship-sinks-near-andros/

Cochise County SAR Teams Field String of Back-to-Back Emergency Calls

Search and rescue teams in Cochise County, Arizona, responded to several emergency calls within a single week, including a recovery mission. The run of incidents puts pressure on rural volunteer teams and makes crew rest difficult to manage.

Search and Rescue teams respond to string of back-to-back emergency calls in Cochise County

COCHISE COUNTY, Ariz. (KVOA) - Cochise County Search and Rescue teams responded to several emergency calls within a week, including a recovery mission, multiple injured hikers and a desert wanderer

KVOACourtesy: Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue

⚙️ Technology & Innovation

Danish Startup Launches 10K Drone Sensor for Wide-Area Search

Danish startup Sapient Perception has released a 10,000-element sensor system built for drone-based wide-area detection. Designed to cover large search grids in a single flight, it could cut search times in open terrain or coastal environments.

Danish Startup Launches 10K Drone Sensor for Wide-Area Search, Surveillance, and Mine Detection

Sapient Perception unveiled a 10K drone sensor system for wide-area detection, search and rescue, surveillance, and mine detection missions.

DRONELIFEMiriam McNabb

Laois Civil Defence Drones Integrate into Multi-Agency SAR Response

Laois Civil Defence drone operators in Ireland joined a multi-agency missing person search over the Bank Holiday weekend, flying alongside the Rescue 115 helicopter from Shannon. The operation is another example of community drone teams working as primary assets in formal SAR responses, not as add-ons.

Laois drone operators assist with missing person search over the Bank Holiday weekend

Laois Civil Defence drone teams assisted in the multi-agency search operation which included Rescue 115 from Shannon

Laois LiveEoghan MacConnell

📋 Policy & Regulatory

U.S. Coast Guard Standing Up New Special Missions Command

The U.S. Coast Guard is establishing a Special Missions Command to bring its elite maritime response units under a single structure. The reorganization affects the teams that handle the most complex and dangerous maritime operations.

MSN

Nigeria Maritime Stakeholders Push for Dedicated National Coast Guard

Maritime advocates in Nigeria have called on the Ministry of Blue Economy and the National Assembly to establish a dedicated coast guard. They argue the country's inland and coastal waterways need a purpose-built SAR and security agency rather than patchwork coverage from existing naval and police structures.

https://leadership.ng/maritime-stakeholders-seek-national-coast-guard/

📰 General News & Community

Divers Find WWI Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, Lost with 131 Sailors in 1918

Divers have located the wreck of the USCGC Tampa, a Coast Guard cutter torpedoed by a German submarine during World War I, with 131 sailors aboard. The ship was found 50 miles off Cornwall, England, more than a century after it sank.

Divers Discover the Shipwreck of a World War I-Era Coast Guard Cutter, Which Vanished With 131 Sailors on Board in 1918

The wreckage of the “Tampa,” which was torpedoed by a German submarine, was found 50 miles off the coast of Cornwall, England. The disaster was the largest single American naval combat loss of life during the war

Smithsonian MagazineEllen Wexler

Hiker and Dog Pulled from Ravine Near Smoky Mountains

A hiker and his dog were found stranded at the bottom of a ravine north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rescue teams worked through the technical terrain and brought both out safely.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article315655158.html