2 drown near Nulato after boat apparently strikes obstacle in Yukon River

Two Nulato residents were found dead Friday in the Yukon River after they were thrown from their boat, Alaska State Troopers said.

Arlene Ivanoff, 55, and Fredrick Stickman, 37, apparently “collided with something in the river, throwing them from the boat,” troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said.

Both Ivanoff and Stickman were believed to have died by drowning, troopers said. An investigation is ongoing, according to troopers.

Authorities were notified Friday that Ivanoff and Stickman were found dead and their boat was found unoccupied, McDaniel said. The State Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the time frame around the deaths, he said.

Nulato is roughly 310 miles west of Fairbanks on the Yukon River.