Search for missing Nevada man in Alaska paused

Alaska search and rescue teams are waiting for underwater sonar and cadaver dogs to resume the search for a Nevada man who went missing Monday night after his canoe flipped on a lake, a department of public safety spokeswoman said.

The search for Matt Asturi, a 33-year-old Las Vegan, was halted and “will likely resume next week,” spokeswoman Megan Peters said on Saturday, adding that they’re waiting for sonar to be done and for cadaver dogs to be able to get out to the area.

Asturi was reported missing Monday night about 100 miles south of Anchorage, the state department of public safety said in a release Wednesday. Witnesses called authorities when they saw a canoe flipped over and floating in Trail Lake.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the search paused, but search teams, comprised of Alaska state troopers and two fire departments, extensively searched on Monday and went out on water, land and air on Tuesday, the release said. Wednesday’s efforts were limited to the shoreline.

The team had planned to go out on Thursday and drag the lake and comb the shoreline, authorities said.

The water temperature in the lake Asturi went missing is 35 degrees and visibility is “zero,” authorities said. The northern part of the lake is frozen.

Witnesses told officials that Austuri, who was not wearing a life jacket, had been drinking alcohol before going out in a canoe, authorities said. They saw him paddling about 15 minutes before dispatchers received the first 911 call.

The conditions at the lake have made the search difficult, authorities said.

Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.