Five people were rescued from waters near Valdez after a 27-foot boat capsized Friday evening, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
One of them, a 57-year-old woman, was hypothermic after spending about 10 minutes in the water, the Coast Guard said. She and four others were picked up by a private boat that heard the mayday call. A Coast Guard crew transferred the ailing woman to emergency crews in Valdez for treatment.
The Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center got a radio mayday call about 7 p.m. Friday reporting a boat had capsized in the Valdez Narrows and five people were in the water, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman, Petty Officer Third Class Meredith Manning, said the people were in the water for about 10 minutes before the private boat came to help.
A Coast Guard official said in a statement the incident showed the importance of carrying a VHF-FM radio while on the water.
"The distressed mariners were able to call for help before capsizing and a Good Samaritan was able to respond immediately," said Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Sheean, the Sector Anchorage command duty officer.
Winds of 40 mph and 4-foot seas were reported at the time of the incident. Manning said it wasn't clear what caused the boat to capsize.