Update at 6:27 p.m. Oct. 10:
The missing boaters have been brought home to Kongiganak. Read about their rescue here.
Update at 6:40 p.m. Oct. 9:
Bethel Search and Rescue (BSAR) member Fritz Charles said that two men were spotted next to an overturned boat near what is known to boaters as "West Point." He said that the nearest community to their location is Tuntutuliak. Charles said that he, along with Alaska State Troopers, saw the two men around 5 p.m. during an aerial search.
Charles said that BSAR has not confirmed whether they are the same group that was reported missing after leaving from Kongiganak towards Bethel on Oct. 6. He declined to identify the missing men.
Charles said that the two men were waving to the plane in distress while crouching in the tall grass to escape high winds. A silver boat was overturned in the water near them. Charles could not identify if it matched the description of the missing boat.
During a phone call at 6:29 p.m., Charles told KYUK that BSAR could not immediately deploy a rescue team by boat to the two men because of high winds. He said that search and rescue members would travel to them as soon as it was safe.
Original story:
Bethel Search and Rescue (BSAR) is asking for help looking for two missing boaters. BSAR member Fritz Charles said that two men left Kongiganak headed to Bethel on Wednesday, Oct. 6. They have not been seen since they left Kongiganak.
The boat is a 17-foot Mac with a 90 horsepower Yamaha engine. The boat also has an unpainted plywood windbreak near the back of it.
If you have any information regarding the missing boaters, call or text BSAR at 907-545-4809.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Fritz Charles was the BSAR Vice President. He does not currently hold that position. He is a BSAR member.
