A 74-year-old man died on the Little Susitna River late Thursday despite efforts to save him by responding EMS.

74-year-old Yong Soo Kim and a friend attempted to cross the Little Susitna River after getting disorientated and lost while out on a berry/mushroom picking trip in the Hatcher Pass Management area.

After attempting to cross the river to seek aid, Kim fell into the river and was swept downstream.

A call went into the Alaska State Troopers at approximately 10:22 pm and troopers responded to the missing person call at an address off of Palmer-Fishhook Road.

Mat-Su Borough EMS and Mat-Su Water Rescue also responded and arrived at the scene at 10:36 pm and minutes later located the missing man about 150 feet downstream from where Kim was last seen.

When found, Kim was unresponsive. EMS attempted to resuscitate the man but were unsuccessful. He was transported to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Once there he was pronounced deceased at 12:35 am Friday morning.

The State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage was notified of Kim’s death and responded to take possession of Kim’s body for autopsy.

Kim’s next of kin were notified.

River levels on the Susitna River in Hatcher Pass are about a half-foot higher than normal because of recent rainfall.

  Alaska, Anchorage, deceased, hatcher pass, little, river, susitna, yong soo kim