AST spokesperson Megan Peters says searchers are continuing to look for Cathleen Currie, 60, who wasn’t at her yurt on the Salmon River when troopers visited for a welfare check last Thursday. Members of the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad, as well as other volunteers, are involved in the search.
Meanwhile, searchers near Wrangell found 25-year-old Colin Buness’s kayak hung up on a log jam, as well as some of his gear. Buness, an experienced hiker and kayaker who was carrying a SPOT transmitter, left on a hiking and kayaking trip along the Kikahe and Stikine rivers, but has not been heard from since he checked in at 8 a.m. Friday.
Peters says Sitka and Wrangell search-and-rescue personnel, along with the Coast Guard and the Alaska Army National Guard, are conducting air and ground searches in the area since there is a possibility Buness may be looking for rescuers himself.
In a Thursday statement, the Alaska Army National Guard expressed hope that Buness -- a sergeant in the Guard -- will be safely found.
“The National Guard and Coast Guard continue to work with the Alaska State Troopers and emergency response personnel to search for Buness,” said Brig. Gen. Leon M. “Mike” Bridges, commander of the Alaska Army National Guard. “Buness is an outdoor enthusiast and back-country experienced individual and we will continue this great cooperative effort in hopes we can bring him home safely.”
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