A Belarusian woman died crossing an Alaska river while trying to reach a bus made famous by the book and film "Into the Wild," law enforcement confirmed.
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Newlywed couple Veramika Maikamava and Piotr Markielau, both 24, were trying to cross the Teklanika River Thursday night when Maikamava lost her footing and was swept underneath the current, Alaska State police spokesman Ken Marsh told The Anchorage Daily News. The river was running high and swift after recent rains.
Markielau found his wife’s body about 75 to 100 feet downstream, but she was already dead, Marsh said. Her body was sent to the state medical examiner.
The couple were trying to reach the "Magic Bus," an abandoned bus where hiker Christopher McCandless died in 1992, Reuters reported. McCandless used the bus has shelter before he died of starvation. A diary he kept in his final days served as inspiration for the 1996 book by John Krakauer, "Into the Wild," and a 2007 movie of the same name starring Emile Hirsch.
Hundreds of people have trekked to see the bus over the years, according to Reuters. In 2010, a Swiss woman died trying to cross the Teklanika River. There were 15 state search-and-rescue missions into the area from 2009 to 2017, Marsh said.
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