The Alaska State Troopers along with the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Alaska State Park Rangers, Soldotna Police Department and Central Emergency Services responded to the Kenai River near Centennial on Friday night after AST received news of an incident there, the trooper dispatch reported on Sunday.

According to the report, troopers learned that four boaters had gotten ejected from a boat on the Kenai at approximately 9 pm. It was reported that none of the four  individuals that ended up in the water had life jackets on at the time of the accident.

Three of the four that were dumped into the water successfully reached shore, a fourth, identified as 63-year-old Phillip Keltner, of Colorado, did not. The trooper dispatch stated, “was last seen floating down river and had reportedly gone under water.”

Searchers scoured the river on foot and in boats with no success and the search was suspended. Further searches, after the main search were carried out by the Alaska State Parks Service.

The caause of the incident is still under investigation.

Kiltner’s next of kin has been notified of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Alaska State Troopers at 907-262-4453. [xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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