2 Noorvik men die in boating accident

NOORVIK, Alaska (KTUU) – Two men boating on the Kobuk River were found dead on Aug. 19 after they were reported as overdue to the Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers wrote in an online dispatch that they were notified at 12:27 p.m. on Aug. 19 that two men in a 16-foot long Lund skiff had left Kotzebue at 8 p.m. Aug. 18 and never arrived in Noorvik at 10 p.m. that night, as expected.

“The US Coast Guard and Northwest Arctic Borough launched a search and rescue effort for the overdue vessel,” troopers wrote. “On August 19, 2022, at approximately 1:30 pm, the skiff was located overturned on the Kobuk River. The boat’s two occupants, 43-year-old Noorvik resident Henry Black and 40-year-old Noorvik resident Diane Coffin were both located deceased in the Kobuk River at approximately 7 pm on August 19.”

Troopers wrote that the State Medical Examiner’s Office took possession of the remains.

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