Body recovered from river

CHICKALOON -- The body of a 46-year-old Wasilla man was found floating in the Matanuska River Saturday, after he apparently separated from his fishing raft and drowned near Mile 75 Glenn Hwy.

Doug Crawl, a Division of Forestry helicopter crewman, pulled Joseph Mach's body from a shallow portion of the river after receiving a call from a dispatcher. Crawl was part of a firefighting crew returning to Palmer after dumping water on an Eagle River fire and successfully putting it out.

Crawl said dispatch was first notified about the incident when people on the roadside reported seeing Mach's body floating in the water around 2 p.m. According to Crawl, several other rafters saw Mach earlier in the day, rafting down the river alone.

Crawl said the helicopter crew saw Mach's raft and a pair of hip waders about five miles down the river from the place where his body was recovered. Mach was not wearing a life jacket.

According to a report by the Alaska State Troopers, the state medical examiner's office was contacted and Mach's body was released to Valley Funeral Home. No foul play is suspected.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.