Child Dead in Crevasse? Authorities Fear the Worse as 9 Year Old Disappears in Alaska Snow
A child may be dead in a crevasse in Alaska, according to reports, with officials believing the boy must have fallen down nearly 200 feet into a large crevasse on Saturday.
Authorities fear the 9 year old boy could be dead, after he went missing on Saturday while he was snowmobiling. It is strongly believed the boy may have fallen down into a glacial moulin - a circular shaft formed by glacial ice.
Sjohn Brown of Fairbanks, Alaska was last seen on Saturday, according to Alaska State Troopers spokesperson, Megan Peters. The area that he was seen in contains a near-60 meter deep crevasse in which authorities believe he must have fallen into.
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The crevasse is extremely difficult to access, even for the most experienced rescuers and climbers, and as of Monday morning the boy was still missing.
Peters has stated in an email of the search for Brown: "The deep hole requires skilled climbers. We made an attempt but the hole has filled with a significant amount of snow … The father rode to the location and found he had fallen through this hole."
Peters added: "The skill needed to rappel down the hole is significant. We must have trained personnel to attempt a recovery."
The incident is said to have occurred about five miles northwest of Arctic Man in the Hoo Doo Mountains.
The spokesperson also confirmed that authorities do not believed the child could have survived the fall into the crevasse.
Local troopers have described to local media sources that the boy had been riding with an adult and others in the area.
However, the adult Brown was with took a break and was watching Brown and the others from the side of a hill.
The adult has reportedly described that Brown rode around a small mound but then did not reappear the other side. Realizing something had happened the adult rode over to the area the boy was last seen and found the crevasse, which it is believed the boy must have fallen down into.
