New Year Tragedy & the Whale Tail

The Whale Tail! An unusually shaped stretch of open water 8 miles below Lower Kalskag. Nicolai Sergie’s fish camp is on the point of land at the lower left side of the picture. A two man crew has been working for several days to mark this dangerous area. Photo courtesy of Bethel SAR

by Bethel Search and Rescue

1.5.21 BSAR Kuskokwim Aerial Survey—Report 2021-01* Summary:

2021 has gotten off to a tragic start with the loss of two Bethel snow machine travelers following the wrong trail at night into unmarked open water near Tuluksak.

Recovery efforts at the site are ongoing. MORE HELP IS NEEDED.

BSAR did an aerial survey today with BSAR member Job Hale today to inventory the remaining open water between Bethel and Kalskag.

On today’s flight it quickly became clear:

THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF OPEN WATER OUT THERE THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE MARKED!

Closing: A big thank you to our pilot Job Hale for bringing BSAR on this valuable flight. There is still a lot of work to be done out there to keep our winter travelers safe. We urge our fellow SAR and Tribal Transportation groups to get these dangers marked before another tragedy occurs.

There is also a lot of help still needed at the Tuluksak area as we go into the 5th day of the recovery effort. If you can please volunteer your time or other resources. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Sallaffie and Hale families.

Thank you.

*Please note that this report is not an advisory that it is safe to travel. It is for informational purposes only.