The Coast Guard says 40-year-old Manolito Galvez of the Philippines died in the accident two weeks ago when the Pago Pago-based MV Carol Linda was about 700 miles (1,125 kilometers) north of the US territory’s main island of Tutulia.
Lieutenant Steven Caskey says the initial report received by the Coast Guard is that the main mast that holds up the boom broke in half and fell on crewmembers. Another fisherman from the Philippines suffered a broken leg.
The boat’s local agent, K.S. Shipping, couldn’t be reached for comment.
The Coast Guard and the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.