A woman from China drowned in the Moose River Monday night, according to a dispatch from Alaska State Troopers.
Yanting Jin, 18, was found dead by the diving team of the Nikiski Fire Department at around 9:30 p.m., after they responded to reports of an individual disappearing under the water near the Izaak Walton Campground in Sterling. Ken Marsh, public information officer for the Department of Public Safety, said that Jin was swimming in the river with several other people when she and another swimmer began struggling to stay afloat. Marsh said a bystander on the shore managed to pull one of the swimmers out of the water but by that time Jin had disappeared. Brian Crisp, one of the divers for the Nikiski Fire Department, said that it took the team about an hour and a half to find Jin in the river.
Harrison Deveer, public safety officer for the Nikiski Fire Department, said that Jin was in Alaska on a work visa, and next of kin has been notified. No foul play is suspected according to the dispatch, and Marsh said that none of the swimmers were wearing life jackets or using flotation devices.
