Alaska State Troopers on Monday identified the two people who died after the vehicle they were in crashed into the Matanuska River on Friday evening.
The 1995 Toyota Tacoma was pulled from the river Saturday and 31-year-old Clayton McManis and 26-year-old Kaitlin Ogden were found dead inside, troopers said.
McManis was driving when the vehicle left the southbound lanes of the Glenn Highway at the Matanuska River bridge, said Tim DeSpain, a spokesman for the troopers. The truck went down the embankment and missed the bridge barriers before it plunged into the river and went underwater, troopers said.
It was unclear on Monday what caused the truck to leave the roadway, DeSpain said.
The crash closed the highway for several hours Friday night. Search and rescue divers were unable to safely reach the truck Friday night due to swift waters and limited visibility, troopers said. The search resumed Saturday afternoon, and the truck was removed from the water around 6 p.m., according to troopers.
Witnesses initially believed there may have been three people in the truck, but troopers said that after investigation, “there was no evidence to suggest that a third person was in the vehicle.”