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Bodies of two German tourists found in Alaskan lake
The bodies of two tourists from Germany were found by a kayaking guide in an Alaska glacier lake.
The guide was conducting a group tour at the Valdez Glacier Lake when he came across the bodies of married couple Paul Thomas Schroer and Maria Elisabeth Schroer, both aged 67, and their own kayaking guide, Manfred Brida, who is an Austrian national.
One of the bodies was found on an ice floe while the other two were in the water.
All were wearing life jackets, but not wetsuits, suggesting they may have died due to the frigid temperatures.
"It’s dangerous getting near the face of glaciers like that. If they were knocked out of the boat due to a wake or a calving piece of ice, the water is very cold," Sheri Pierce, spokesperson for the city of Valdez, told Anchorage Daily News.
Valdez Glacier Lake, located 120 miles east of Anchorage, is a popular tourist location.
"It’s a very dangerous situation to be back towards the toe of a glacier when you have those types of unstable, large pieces of ice in the water. That water is glacier water, and it is so, so very cold," Pierce added.
Valdez Glacier Lake and the surrounding area offer year-round activities such as kayaking, hiking and skiing.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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