Anchorage Daily News

NOME -- Five missing snowmachiners were rescued in two separate pickups Monday by the Alaska Army National Guard, which was summoned to assist in back-to-back search and rescue missions.

Ground search crews from the Nome Volunteer Fire Department located the first man, David Evans, 30, mildly hypothermic in a shelter cabin, according to Alaska State Troopers. A Black Hawk helicopter from Nome picked up Evans, who had been missing overnight near White Mountain, according to the guard.

Before the chopper could return to base with the snowmachiner, Alaska State Troopers requested its help in another search and rescue mission to find four more snowmachiners who had been missing overnight near Pilgrim Hot Springs, about 50 miles north of Nome.

The helicopter diverted to the area and found the missing people, Nome residents Charles Leeper, 34, Obie Simonis, 36, Kevin Zweifel, 38, and Scott Zweifel, 34, troopers said.

The Black Hawk flew Leeper and Kevin Zweifel, who were mildly hypothermic, to Nome for treatment. Their snowmachines had broken down and the men were forced to abandon them, troopers said. The other men were escorted to Nome by the fire department.

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