New Stuyahok man found by troopers after being reported overdue from snowmachine trip

Published: Dec. 30, 2021 at 10:53 AM AKST|Updated: Dec. 30, 2021 at 4:43 PM AKST
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A New Stuyahok man has been found alive after being reported missing when he did not return from a snowmachine trip, Alaska State Troopers say.

Troopers said in an online dispatch report that 68-year-old Andrew Wagan was missing after he left Dillingham on Wednesday by snowmachine, heading for New Stuyahok. He had not been found there or in the nearby community of Ekwok by Wednesday night.

In an updated dispatch on Thursday, troopers wrote that Wagan was found alive just after 2:30 p.m., and that he was being taken back to Dillingham by ground searchers.

“The Alaska State Troopers would like to thank all of the volunteer searchers that assisted with this search,” the dispatch reads.

A troopers spokesperson said volunteer search and rescue teams from Dillingham searched using snowmachines, while troopers had planned to use Department of Public Safety aircraft to search from the sky.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information.

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