One of four anglers thrown from their boat on the Kenai River late Friday night is missing and presumed lost. According to an Alaska State Trooper dispatch online, at about 9 p.m. on Friday, a boat with four people went out of control near Centennial Campground in Soldotna, downstream from the David Douthit Veterans Memorial Bridge.
None of the four occupants were reportedly wearing life preservers, and while three of them were able to swim to shore, a fourth, 63-year-old Phillip Kurt Keltner of Colorado was swept downriver, and according to the troopers, went under and was not seen again.
Troopers report that a search was joined by Wildlife Troopers, State Park Rangers, Soldotna Police and Central Emergency Services. The search went on through the night but was called off after no sign of the missing man was found by late Saturday, according to a trooper spokesman in Soldotna.
Park personnel as well as family and friends continue looking for Keltner. The cause of the boat malfunction if under investigation.