Two weeks after a Wainwright hunter went missing, local, borough and state responders are continuing their search on the ground, underwater and from the air.
The hunter, not identified by the officials, left Wainwright on the morning of Dec. 15. After the hunter was reported overdue later that night, North Slope Borough Search and Rescue started the search on Dec. 16, borough officials said in a statement Friday.
Volunteer teams from Wainwright, Utqiagvik, Atqasuk and Point Lay conducted a ground search while the borough led the air search using a Beechcraft Super King Air plane, a multipurpose helicopter and drones, the statement said. The United States Coast Guard assisted in the air search as well.
The Alaska Dive Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team also responded to the incident, deploying a remotely operated vehicle, sector-scanning sonar and dive gear.
“The ice on the river/inlet was so thin that one of our members went through the ice four times during the search,” the team said in a post on their Facebook page. ”Thankfully, the rescue raft was being used to support their weight and they could climb back on the raft without going all the way under the water.”
Here are some pictures from our mission to Wainwright, AK The ice on the river/inlet was so thin that that one of our...
Posted by Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team on Saturday, December 30, 2023
No updates on the search were available on Sunday.