Two Travelers from Teller Overdue; Search and Rescue Efforts Continue

By Davis Hovey | March 1, 2019 |
An aerial view of Nome, Alaska, its airport runways, and nearby mountains, covered in snow in late winter 2017.

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.

Posted in News, Public Safety

3 Comments

  1. Daniel Harrelson on March 1, 2019 at 3:21 pm

    Hope they found shelter someplace. Thanks to all that are searching….SAR teams, VPSO Olanna and the AST folks.



  2. Cher Komakhuk on March 2, 2019 at 11:20 am

    Sending prayers for those folks & their friends and families, Amen



  3. Lost Snowmachiners’ Bodies Possibly Recovered; Search Continues for Chevak Woman – KNOM Radio Mission on April 9, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    […] received a report in late February that David Miller and Rex Iyatunguk of Teller were overdue during their snowmachine ride to Nome. Once the State Medical Examiner conducts an autopsy and confirms positive ID, Peters says Troopers […]