Californian woman dies in southeast Alaska after collision with skiff and fishing boat

Updated: 31 Some minutes ago Published: 31 Some minutes ago

A 73-year-old California woman died Wednesday when a 58-foot fishing boat collided with a 20-foot skiff in the Wrangell Narrows, throwing her and another person into the water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

An Alaska State Troopers spokesman identified the woman Friday as Susan Paul.

Authorities said a Mayday call was received before 9 a.m. Wednesday morning reporting a person in the water.

A Good Samaritan rescued the other person in the boat, but Paul was not immediately found, the Coast Guard said. A rescue diver from Petersburg found her body in the sunken boat after several hours of searching, it said.

The other person rescued in the collision was taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries and hypothermia, Petersburg public radio station KFSK reported. The coast guard is investigating.

What caused the collision was not immediately clear.

The Narrows are a 22-mile-long strait between Wrangell and Petersburg. Authorities said the search effort involved Coast Guard Air Force Base Sitka and the cutter Elderberry, as well as search and rescue teams from Wrangell and Petersburg, police officers and numerous Good Samaritans.