A search remains underway for two missing passengers of a boat that capsized on the Kuskokwim River near Akiak on July 27. According to Alaska State Troopers, another passenger was able to self-rescue, though the survivor was unaware of the location of the other passengers.
Akiachak Tribal Police Chief Mark Mata, who is helping coordinate the search, said that volunteers focused their search in an area just downriver of Akiak on July 28.
"Since yesterday, we searched the area where she actually was holding on to the branches. So we marked that place, we started below from there," Mata said.
But Mata said that that new information gleaned from the survivor led them to adjust their search strategy on July 29, the following day.
"The survivor was saying we were searching in the wrong place because she said the boat started sinking above the original location where we started searching," Mata said.
Mata said that volunteers from Akiak, Akiachak, Bethel, Kwethluk, and Tuluksak are taking part in the search for the two missing boaters, and that crews used sonar and drag bars to search on July 29.
Troopers said that they have deployed a boat and airplane to the area to assist.
This is a developing story and may be updated with additional details.
