Couple drowns while launching boat into Yukon River

Published 7:26 pm Monday, May 16, 2016

MARSHALL — A man and woman drowned Friday afternoon as they attempted to launch a boat into the Yukon River in the Alaska village of Marshall.

Alaska State Troopers say 80-year-old Frank Coffee and his wife, 76-year-old Angelina Coffee, attempted to launch the boat from a steep bank.

As Frank Coffee drove, their vehicle slid into the water and the couple could not escape.

A man dove into the water and pulled them out. Witnesses administered CPR but the victims could not be revived.

Marshall is a village of 270 people about 400 miles west of Anchorage.