Eight-year-old Yakov Kalugin died at his family's home in Voznesenka July 16 after his neck became entangled in a rope used as a makeshift swing, according to Alaska State Trooper David Sherbahn, who arrived on the scene shortly after the accident.

The child had been playing on the swing before his 4-year-old sister found him caught in the rope.

"From what I understand, she tried to get him unwound and could not. She called for the mother and the mother came out and dialed 911. She got him out of the rope and gave him CPR with the assistance of the dispatcher," said Sherbahn.

Troopers first received the call at 11:52 a.m. and a person with Emergency Medical Services training arrived about five minutes later and assisted in CPR, said Sherbahn. Personnel from Kachemak Emergency Services took over from there, about 20 to 25 minutes later, but all efforts to revive the boy failed.

At 2 p.m., medical technicians from the Soldotna-based LifeMed helicopter, which arrived about an hour and a half after the initial call, pronounced the boy deceased.

The child's body was transported to the state Medical Examiner's office the next morning, where an external inspection was performed. No official report on the death has yet been released.

Aaron Selbig can be reached at aaron.selbig.@homernews.com.