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Death on the Alsek

Two men were killed rafting on the Alsek River last week.Two days later, the three surviving rafters were evacuated, along with the bodies of the…

Two men were killed rafting on the Alsek River last week.

Two days later, the three surviving rafters were evacuated, along with the bodies of the deceased.

Haines Junction RCMP assisted the Kluane National Park warden service with the evacuation on Friday.

The incident, which occurred near the junction of the Bates River, took the lives of 59-year-old Joseph Leffel from Idaho and 34-year-old Jeremiah Leffel from Indiana.

Both men died after being ejected from their raft, according to an RCMP news release.

All five of the rafters were tourists from the USA, and were registered with the Kluane National Park services.

Parks Canada and the Yukon coroner’s service continue with their investigation of the matter.

Representatives from both Parks Canada and the RCMP were unavailable for comment before press time.