Md. Soldier Dies After Boat Flips In Alaska's Klutina River

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Officials say a 23-year-old soldier based at Alaska's Fort Wainwright has died in a boating accident in the Copper Center area.

The Army says Pfc. Christopher Covington of Temple Hills, Md., died after the mishap Saturday on the Klutina River. An autopsy will be conducted by the state medical examiner's office.

Alaska State Troopers say Covington and fellow Fort Wainwright soldiers -- 23-year-old George Brady and 39-year-old Columbus Jones Jr. -- and Jones' 11-year-old son, Columbus Jones III, were fishing on a jet boat operated by the elder Jones.

The boat experienced mechanical problems and the current pushed it into a submerged rock, where the vessel overturned.

The boy was rescued, and his father and Brady made it to shore. Covington was not breathing when he was found.

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