A crew of four with the assistance of Alaska Army National Guard assets rescued two snowmachiners southeast of Shishmaref over the weekend.
Late Friday night, Alaska State Troopers received a call from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center about multiple distress beacon requests coming from the area near Quartz Creek airstrip.
According to a press release from the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, Troopers requested that the Army National Guard provide assistance in the search for two snowmachiners, who activated the beacons.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 207th regiment left Nome with three crew members and a paramedic from the Nome Volunteer Fire Department. The crew located a male and female pair who had attempted to snowmachine to Serpentine Hot Springs but had gotten stuck in deep snow.
After a medical evaluation, it was reported that the couple had no serious injuries. Their snowmachine was removed from the snow, and the couple was escorted safely to a nearby heated shelter for the night before continuing their travel.
Currently, the identities of the two snowmachiners have not been released by Troopers or the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.
When traveling into the wilderness, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center recommends travelers take a personal locator with them.
