Cruise passenger dead, another injured after sliding down steep hiking trail in Alaska, authorities say

One cruise passenger died and another was injured after falling from a hiking trail in Juneau, Alaska.

Alaska State Troopers were alerted to a search and rescue mission around 8:10 p.m. on September 16 after two men had fallen from the popular Mount Roberts Trail in Juneau, according to a public news release. 

According to the Associated Press, Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Tess Williams said one of the men had called 911 for assistance. She added that the men had accidentally veered off the main hiking trail. 

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The two men "slid down the steep mountainside," with one being successfully rescued and sustaining only minor injuries. Unfortunately, Britain Pool, 36, of Texas, fell further down the cliff and did not survive. 

Troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue (JMR) volunteers recovered Pool's body. His remains were transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, and his next of kin were notified. 

Authorities did not say which cruise ship the two men were sailing on. According to Cruise Mapper, four ships were in port on Sept. 16: Viking Venus, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore, and Caribbean Princess. 

Second hiking-related death involving a cruise passenger in Alaska this year

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Marites Buenafe, 62, of Kentucky, was the first cruise passenger to die from a hiking accident in Alaska this year.

She was traveling aboard the Norwegian Bliss and was last seen alive around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 1, as she disembarked the ship. 

Buenafe, a University of Kentucky employee, told family members that she planned to hike Gold Ridge and Gastineau Peak, beginning at the top of the Goldbelt Tramway. 

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However, she missed the ship's 1:30 p.m. departure, which prompted a coordinated search effort between the Alaska State Troopers, Juneau Police Department, Juneau Mountain Rescue, and SEADOGS (Southeast Alaska Dogs for Organized Ground Search).

Her body was eventually located by an Alaska National Guard helicopter crew, which was approximately 1,700 feet below the ridge line of Gold Ridge, on July 3. 

"Troopers and Juneau Mountain Rescue were able to recover her body with the assistance of Temsco Helicopters and the National Guard. Her next of kin have been notified, and her body will be sent to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy," stated a press release.

Read more: Search underway after cruise passenger disappears while hiking in Alaska