Two Travelers from Teller Overdue; Search and Rescue Efforts Continue

Search and rescue efforts continue for two men who travelled from Teller to Nome earlier this week but never made it to their final destination.

According to an Alaska State Troopers report, David Miller and Rex Iyatunguk of Teller were overdue as of 12am Tuesday (Feb. 26). The two Teller residents departed at noon on Monday, bound for Nome on a single blue Polaris 550 snowmachine.

Troopers say hasty search teams were sent out on Tuesday until noon, checking all shelter cabins along the trail between Teller and Nome, then turned back due to whiteout conditions. Search and rescue teams continued to look for the missing snowmachiners yesterday (Thursday).

According to Troopers, search efforts are ongoing. The National Weather service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Southern Seward Peninsula Coast, including Nome, until 6pm Friday evening.

The advisory states blowing snow will occur, along with reduced visibility.

Image at top: An aerial view of Nome and the surrounding countryside, March 2017. Photo: Margaret DeMaioribus, KNOM file.

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