Researcher Missing After Fall on Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier

An Italian researcher is missing in Alaska after falling into a stream on the Mendenhall Glacier.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a report on Sept. 2 about a man who had fallen into the stream and was missing. According to the report, the man was pushed by the water into a small, vertical opening in the ice.

Police said the man was traveling with two other people. The witnesses told authorities that they could no longer see the man once he fell into the opening.

Police added that Juneau Mountain Rescue deployed a technical ice rescue team, whose members subsequently discovered the roughly 2-foot-wide hole was filled with rushing water. The team determined that it was too dangerous to attempt to locate the missing man. The team then began the process of notifying his family.

The disappearance comes after the body of another hiker was found near the glacier earlier in the week, the Associated Press reported. In that instance, a man from Arizona, Thomas Casey, 69, was found via his cell phone. The outlet noted that Casey had last been seen on Saturday morning, and authorities believe he died from a fall.

The glacier, which is part of the Juneau Icefield, is a popular destination for tourists and hikers.