A man walking on tidal mud flats with friends in an Alaska estuary got stuck up to his waist in the quicksand-like silt and drowned as the tide came in before frantic rescuers could extract him
A channel flows through the mud flats along the Seward Highway and Turnagain Arm in Alaska on Oct. 25, 2014. Authorities said, a 20-year-old man from Illinois who was walking Sunday evening, May 21, 2023, on tidal mud flats with friends in an Alaska estuary, got stuck up to his waist in the quicksand-like silt and drowned as the tide came in before frantic rescuers could extract him.
“It’s big, it’s amazing, it’s beautiful, and it’s overwhelming,” Kristy Peterson, the administrator and lead EMT for the Hope-Sunrise Volunteer Fire Department, said of Alaska. “But you have to remember that it’s Mother Nature, and she has no mercy for humanity.” The accident occurred near the community of Hope, a quaint community of about 80 people. It lies across Turnagain Arm just 22 miles — but a 90-minute drive — from Anchorage.
When the tide comes back in, the silt gets wet from the bottom, loosens up and can create a vacuum if a person walks on it.“I’ve really got to warn people against playing the mud,” Peterson said. “It’s dangerous.” In 1978, an unnamed Air Force sergeant attempting to cross Turnagain Arm was swept away with the leading edge of the tide. His body was never found, the Anchorage newspaper reported. In 2013, Army Capt. Joseph Eros died while trying to cross from Fire Island back to Anchorage.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Illinois man stuck on mud flats near Hope drowns on incoming tide, Alaska State Troopers sayA 20-year-old Illinois man died Sunday evening after rescuers were unable to free him from the Turnagain Arm mud flats near Hope as the tide rose, Alaska State Troopers said.
Read more »
Trinidad police fatally shoot man during warrants call; another man injuredTrinidad police officers shot and killed a man after responding to a warrants call early Sunday morning. Another man was also shot and injured, but it’s unclear who fired at him.
Read more »
Fallen climber rescued at Alaska’s Denali National ParkNational Park Service rangers rescued a climber who fell from a 16,000-foot-high ridge at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, officials said Saturday. FOX13
Read more »
Feds launch review of land exchange proposal needed to build road in Alaska’s Izembek refugeThe Interior secretary announced plans for the review in March and withdrew a land exchange approved by the Trump administration, raising concerns in King Cove and with state officials.
Read more »
In Real Life: Voices of NatureCan artificial intelligence really help us talk to the animals?
Read more »
Kinsey Laine returns to Alaska to win a fourth Gold Nugget TriathlonLaine, a former UAF swimmer, won the race three straight years from 2015 to 2017 but hadn’t raced competitively for over three years.
Read more »