A man died from cold exposure Saturday after a boat overturned on Chignik Lake on the Alaska Peninsula, troopers said. Another man is still missing.
Taylor Lind, Fred Shangin and Nicholas Garner, all of Chignik Lake, had loaded a snowmachine onto the bow of a skiff to take it to the north side of Chignik Lake, troopers wrote in an online statement. The boat hit a wave and overturned. Troopers said none of the men was wearing a life vest.
The boat drifted for about a half-hour to the edge of the ice. Lind, 24, saved himself, troopers said. Shangin, 42, was on top of the boat but unable to get off. He died of cold exposure.
Garner, 39, was clinging to the boat but was no longer able to hold on, troopers said. He submerged and did not reappear.
Two people watched from shore but were not able to reach the boat to help with the rescue, troopers said. Another boat arrived at the scene but troopers said the good Samaritans onboard were unable to reach the capsized boat because of ice.
Troopers were called to the area at 3:16 p.m. and a Coast Guard helicopter arrived by 6:30 p.m. Troopers said Lind was rescued by the helicopter crew along with two people from the good Samaritan boat and the two waiting along the shore. The Coast Guard recovered Shangin’s body.
Troopers said a winter storm interrupted local search efforts for Garner. The search will continue when the weather allows.
Correction: Fred Shangin’s name was misspelled in a previous version of this article. The story has been updated with the correct spelling.