Search Continues for Missing Cruise Ship Passenger in Juneau
By Alaska Native News on Comments Off on Search Continues for Missing Cruise Ship Passenger in Juneau
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Search continues for Marites Buenafe,, cruise ship passenger who went on hike outside of Juneau
Searchers on the ground and in the air continue the search for 62-year-old Marites Buenafe, who went missing during a hike in Juneau on Tuesday.
Buenafe, a passenger on a cruise ship that had pulled into the Juneau port, had decided on Tuesday morning to take the tram then hike along Gold Ridge to Gastineau Peak. When she failed to return from her hike Alaska Wildlife Troopers were notified at 3:2o pm that afternoon. As a result, Juneau Mountain Rescue began a search with thermal drones, and AWT Helo 5 and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter joined in a began conducting aerial searches.
The search continued through the afternoon and into the night before stopping for the night. On Wednesday morning, the search continued when Juneau Mountain Rescue and Southeast Alaska Dogs for Organized Ground Search also took up the search. Wednesday morning aerial assets were placed on standby due to weather conditions.
On Thursday morning, ground and aerial search teams again took up their search. Over a dozen professional volunteers from Juneau Mountain Rescue and SEADOGS again took up the search alongside troopers and Juneau Police. Drones, canines were included in the search, but, as yet, there has been no sign of Buenafe.
