Man, 20, dies after becoming waist-deep in Alaskan mudflats and drowns at rising tide

A 20-year-old man from Illinois drowned after becoming trapped in waste-height silt while walking across mud flats in Alaska and being submerged by rising tide.

Zachary Porter was walking past the flats with friends when he got stuck in the mud on Sunday night.

After unsuccessful attempts by friends to free him from the sludge, the authorities were called, but rescue teams were also unable to free him in time.

He died about an hour later, but his body was not recovered until the next morning, Alaska State Troopers said.

On May 21, Porter and friends walked along the mud flats of Turnagain Arm near Hope, a small community of about 80 people. Pictured is a view of the small town

On May 21, Porter and friends were walking along the mudflats of Turnagain Arm near Hope, a small community of about 80 people an hour and a half from Anchorage.

The group was between 15 and 30 meters from shore when Porter became trapped in the softening silt, says Girdwood fire chief Michelle Weston. told Anchorage Daily News.

State Troopers said one of his friends called 911 immediately after he got stuck, around 5:45 p.m. When the first rescue teams arrived shortly after 6 p.m., Porter was waist-deep in mud.

The Girdwood Fire Department and two air ambulances were called in at 6:13 p.m. to assist local emergency responders, Weston said, but by the time Girdwood’s crew arrived at the scene around 7 p.m., Porter was already submerged.

A man Porter tried to save was flown to Anchorage with hypothermia, troopers said.

The fire department is about 75 miles from where Porter became trapped, and Weston said it could take up to an hour to drive there.

Weston Alaska told Public Media that mud rescues can take 10 to 30 minutes, so getting help quickly is crucial.

“There has to be a time barrier between when someone is trapped and when the crew gets there and before the crew actually gets to work getting the person free,” she said. “And it’s usually a race against what the tide is doing.”

The Turnagain Arm is a 78-mile estuary carved by glaciers running southeast from the Anchorage area that runs parallel to a major highway that often takes tourists south from Anchorage.

At low tide, the estuary is known for its dangerous mudflats of silt created by glacier-pulverized rocks.

A 20-year-old man from Illinois drowned after becoming trapped in waste-height silt while walking across mudflats in Alaska and submerged by rising tide

Accidents on the flats are common. Earlier this month, a man was rescued from the mudflats after a leg got stuck and he sank waist-deep while fishing at the mouth of Twentymile River.

It’s been about ten years since someone last died in the flats.

In 2013, Army Captain Joseph Eros died while trying to cross from Fire Island back to Anchorage.

In 1988 newlyweds Adeana and Jay Dickison were dredging gold on the east side of the arm when their ATV got stuck in the mud, the Reports the Anchorage Daily News.

She got stuck trying to push it out and drowned in the rising tide.

In 1978, an unnamed Air Force sergeant attempting to cross the Turnagain Arm was swept away by the leading edge of the tide. His body has never been found, the Anchorage newspaper reports.

“It’s big, it’s amazing, it’s beautiful and it’s overwhelming,” Kristy Peterson, the Hope-Sunrise Volunteer Fire Department’s administrator and chief EMT, said of Alaska.

“But you have to remember that it’s Mother Nature, and she has no mercy for humanity,” she added.

Peterson, who responded to the call, spoke to others in Porter’s company, but did not speak to him during the rescue attempt.

“When we respond, we respond with the utmost good intentions and as mothers and fathers and uncles and brothers,” she said. “We are responding with as much passion and strength as we can.”

“I’ve been in touch with all my members and they’re all heartbroken,” Peterson said. “This is a difficult situation.”

At low tide, Turnagain Arm is known for its mudflats that “can suck you down,” Peterson said. “It looks like it’s sturdy, but it’s not.”

When the tide comes back in, the silt from the bottom gets wet, loosens and can create a vacuum if someone walks on it. Signs have been posted warning people of dangerous waters and mud flats.

“I really need to warn people not to play with mud,” she said. ‘It’s dangerous.’

Peterson said they got the rescue call after Porter was in serious trouble and it takes time to mobilize. Another department – about an hour away – also responded.

Peterson urged people to call 911 as soon as possible.

“If you think there’s a problem, if you think there’s even a problem, call,” she said. “Because we can get resources moving and we’d rather turn around and go home than it be a disaster.”