Man survives falling through ice but dies as he walks home, Alaska State Troopers say

A man who survived falling through ice died as he was walking home in Alaska, authorities said.

Alaska State Troopers received a call at 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 15 that Napakiak Search and Rescue had found the body of a man they had been looking for, according to a dispatch by the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

Charles Lupie, 31, of Napakiak was traveling from Napakiak to Bethel when his snowmobile broke through ice on a lake, according to Anchorage Daily News.

The man had “fallen through the ice, self-recovered” and then died while walking back toward Bethel, state troopers said.

Temperatures on Nov. 15 reached 16 degrees, according to Weather Underground.

National Weather Service hydrologist Marian Baker told the Anchorage Daily News that lakes in the Bethel area had not fully frozen over due to the fluctuation of temperatures.

State troopers recovered Lupie’s body and transported him to Bethel via snowmobile, according to the dispatch.

The “investigation does not appear to be criminal at this time,” according to the dispatch.

This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Man survives falling through ice but dies as he walks home, Alaska State Troopers say."