Bodies of two missing snowmachiners recovered

Two Teller men who traveled by snowmachine from Teller to Nome in late February and have not been seen since then, may have been found.
According to Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Aileen Witroski, a Nome hunter happened upon the snowmachine that had been buried under drifted snow on Saturday, April 6.
The hunter notified the troopers.
Two bodies, presumably those of the two men, Rex Iyatunguk, 37, and David Miller, 38, were found buried by snow next to the snowmachine that both were traveling on.
Sgt. Witroski said the location where they were found was between the Sinuk River bridge and the coastline, off the regular trail that connects Nome and Teller.
The troopers used a helicopter to fly to the scene and retrieve the remains. The bodies were sent to the State Medical Examiner for positive identification.
Witroski said the snowmachine was buried in snow, but that the warmth and the wind lately has exposed parts of the snowmachine.
The two men were reported missing when they did not arrive in Nome after leaving Teller on Feb. 25. A series of severe winter storms hammered the region around that time.
The troopers launched a search and rescue operation that included searchers from Nome and Teller searching by snowmachine and aerial searches with hired helicopters and a Blackhawk.
The official Trooper search was called off a week later, but according to social media posts, Teller Search and Rescue with support from other communities continued the search effort when weather permitted.