02-07-2025
Family of 6 spent nearly 24 hours stranded on Alaska river in storm, officials say
A family of six was rescued after their boat became trapped on a river sandbar and they were stranded for almost 24 hours as winds gusted and rain fell, Alaska officials said.
The summer storm conditions were too bad for people nearby to reach the one child and five adults on the Kuskokwim River, near Tuntutuliak, according to officials.
But a UH-60L Black Hawk crew from the Alaska Army National Guard's 207th Aviation Battalion was dispatched and found the family after a search, the national guard said in a July 1 news release.
The family was able to get messages to state troopers before their cellphone batteries gave out, officials said.
Heavy rain pelted the rescuers, who also battled fog and 45 mph wind gusts, according to officials.
The helicopter 'executed a low hover,' and two of the rescuers waded through water that was close to 4 feet deep to reach the family, officials said.
One woman 'could barely move or communicate due to length of exposure in the elements,' officials said.
'We could tell that the group hadn't anticipated being stranded for that amount of time with the clothes and gear they were wearing,' Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nick Lime said, per the release. 'We were able to get to them out of there at an ideal time.'
The crew helped warm up the family members, who 'were close to hypothermic,' while flying to the Bethel Armory, where ambulances picked them up and took them to a hospital, officials said.
Along with Lime, Chief Warrant Officer 3s Bryan Kruse and Colten Bell and Alaska State Trooper Trevor Norris participated in the June 30 rescue, officials said.
Tuntutuliak is in southwestern Alaska.
