Global Courant 2023-05-23 06:31:31
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man walking with friends on mud flats in an Alaskan estuary became waist-deep in the quicksand-like silt and drowned when the tide came in before frantic rescuers could free him, authorities said.
Zachary Porter, 20, of Lake Bluff, Illinois, was submerged Sunday night as the tide came in, and his body was recovered Monday morning, Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel told The Associated Press. A member of Porter’s group called 911 when they couldn’t get him out, but authorities say it was too late.
The accident was the most recent tragedy at Turnagain Arm, a 77-kilometer estuary long ago carved by glaciers that runs southeast from the Anchorage area and parallels a major highway. At low tide, the estuary is known for its dangerous mudflats made of silt created by glacier-pulverized rocks. At least three other people have become trapped there over the years and drowned. Many more have been rescued, including one who was fishing there last month.
“It’s big, it’s amazing, it’s beautiful and it’s overwhelming,” Kristy Peterson, the Hope-Sunrise Volunteer Fire Department’s administrator and chief EMT, said of Alaska. “But you must remember that it is Mother Nature, and she has no mercy for humanity.”
Peterson, who responded to the call, spoke to others in Porter’s company, but did not speak to him during the desperate rescue effort.
“When we respond, we respond with the utmost good intentions and as mothers and fathers and uncles and brothers,” she said. “We are responding with as much passion and vigor as we can.”
The department’s volunteer members will meet later in the week for a debriefing, she said.
“I’ve been in touch with all my members and they’re all heartbroken,” Peterson said. “This is a difficult situation.”
The accident happened near the community of Hope, a quaint community of about 80 people. It is located across the street from Turnagain Arm, just 22 miles – a 90 minute drive – from Anchorage.
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The estuary runs southeast from the Anchorage area and parallels the Seward Highway, the only highway that goes south and takes tourists from Anchorage to the sporting paradise of the Kenai Peninsula.
At low tide, Turnagain Arm is known for its mudflats that “can suck you down,” Peterson said. “It looks like it’s solid, but it’s not.”
When the tide comes back in, the silt from the bottom gets wet, loosens and can create a vacuum if someone walks on it.
Signs have been posted warning people of dangerous waters and mud flats.
“I really need to warn people not to play with the mud,” said Peterson. “It’s dangerous.”
Some people try to walk Turnagain Arm or walk the 9 miles from Anchorage to Fire Island during low tide, sometimes prompting rescues.
There have been other deaths on the mudflats. In 1988 newlyweds Adeana and Jay Dickison were dredging gold on the east side of the arm when their ATV got stuck in the mud, the This is reported by the Anchorage Daily News. She then got stuck trying to push it out and drowned with the rising tide.
In 1978, an unnamed Air Force sergeant attempting to cross the Turnagain Arm was swept away by the leading edge of the tide. His body has never been found, the Anchorage newspaper reports. In 2013, Army Captain Joseph Eros died while trying to cross from Fire Island back to Anchorage.
Earlier this month, a man was rescued from the mudflats after a leg got stuck, and he sank waist-deep while fishing in Turnagain Arm.
Peterson said they got the rescue call after Porter was in serious trouble and it takes time to mobilize. Another department – about an hour away – also responded.
Peterson urged people to call 911 as soon as possible.
“If you think there’s a problem, if you think there’s even a problem, call,” she said. “Because we can get resources moving and we’d rather turn around and go home, then it’s a disaster.”
