Hiker dies after being swept into Alaska river

Thursday July 26, 2012 9:00 PM

BARROW, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard says one hiker has died and another rescued from Atigun Gorge in northern Alaska.

The Coast Guard says in a statement that the survivor, Olaf Schooll of Norway, called for rescue Thursday on a satellite phone from the site, about 240 miles southeast of Barrow.

Schooll reported a hiking companion fell off a cliff edge and was swept away in the Atigun River. The Coast Guard located the man's body about a mile downriver, but terrain and water conditions prevented recovery. A North Slope Borough helicopter left Barrow later Thursday in another attempt.

The identity or nationality of the deceased hiker wasn't released.

The Coast Guard says the two men were hiking across the Brooks Range, from the U.S.-Canadian border to the Bering Sea.

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