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PETERSBURG, AK Petty Officer John Paul Rios says the Coast Guard received a VHF distress call that the vessel was taking on water at about 10 Saturday morning.
“We responded by diverting the Coast Guard cutter Liberty out of Auke Bay and a Coast Guard, JH-60 Jayhawk helicopter out of Sitka. We diverted them and they arrived on scene about 10:40. When they arrived on scene they saw the vessel three-quarters submerged with three people in the life raft. One hanging onto the life raft, and one person free-floating away from the life raft. The Jayhawk helicopter hoisted all five people and returned them to Sitka. One person was showing signs of hypothermia. What was reported was that they got water into their immersion suit. EMS was coming to the scene to take them to the hospital in Sitka,” Rios Said.
Rios said there there were no reports of injury, other than the potential case of hypothermia. According to Rios, the weather at the time of Saturday’s incident was 35 knot winds with six to eight foot seas. As the helicopter transported the five people from the Sandy M. to safety in Sitka, Rios says the Coast Guard cutter Liberty continued on to assess the scene of the sinking vessel.
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