Researcher Who Went Missing After Falling into Stream and Getting Pulled into Glacier Is Dead, Officials Say

Authorities said a interrogator who vanished aft falling into a watercourse connected Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier has died.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) said that astir 1:45 p.m. section clip connected Sept. 2, troopers were notified that an big antheral — later identified arsenic Riccardo Pozzobon, 40 — had fallen into nan watercourse and past vanished aft being pushed by nan h2o into a small, vertical opening successful nan crystal called a moulin.

“The 2 group he was walking pinch could nary longer spot him erstwhile he fell into nan opening,” nan DPS stated successful its dispatch study astatine nan time.

Juneau Mountain Rescue sent an crystal rescue squad who recovered that nan astir two-foot-wide spread was filled pinch rushing water. “It was wished to beryllium excessively vulnerable to effort to find nan missing man, pending immoderate further leads,” officials said. 

On Monday, Sept. 8, nan DPS confirmed Pozzobon’s personality and said that he had died.

In an email to PEOPLE, a DPS spokesperson clarified that though his assemblage hasn't been located aliases recovered, nan moulin he vanished into was "not a survivable situation."

As for nan timing of their announcement, nan spokesperson said they waited to merchandise his sanction until they were assured that his adjacent of kin successful Italy had been notified.

“We are heartbroken astir nan nonaccomplishment of Riccardo Pozzobo," The National Geographic Society, which funded nan investigation astatine nan glacier that Pozzobon was progressive in, shared a connection pinch NBC connection KTUU.

"Our deepest sympathies and condolences are pinch his family and loved ones, including nan 2 colleagues who were portion of nan investigation squad conducting fieldwork successful Alaska," they added.

According to nan European Space Agency, Pozzobon was a interrogator astatine nan University of Padua’s Department of Geosciences successful Italy and his specialty was planetary geology. 

“Within ESA, Riccardo played a pivotal domiciled successful nan founding and improvement of PANGAEA, our astronaut geological field-science training programme,” theire read. “Since 2016, he trained astronauts successful distant sensing, ngo planning, structural geology, and geological section skills, and he served arsenic nan superior crushed communicator during technological traverses."

"Riccardo, who was connected a ngo successful Alaska, passed distant connected September 2nd, leaving a awesome void successful each of us, some arsenic a man and arsenic a researcher,” said Nicola Surian, nan department’s director. “In this very sad moment, we, arsenic a Department, wish to definitive our deepest sympathy to Riccardo's family and friends."

“Riccardo was not only a superb interrogator pinch a boundless passion for geology, but he was besides a generous person, ever consenting to stock his expertise pinch enthusiasm and a contagious joy," added Francesco Sauro, a speleologist and geologist who participated successful galore section missions pinch Pozzobon.

An online fundraiser was established to thief Pozzobon’s partner and their young boy “during this achy and difficult time.”

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The Mendenhall Glacier, a popular recreation area successful Juneau, is described arsenic “one of galore awesome glaciers that link to nan immense Juneau Ice Field, a 1,500 quadrate mile remnant of nan past crystal age,” according to nan U.S. Forest Service website.