A woman from Belarus died attempting to traverse a fast-moving river while on a trip to visit the bus made famous by the book and movie Into the Wild.
Piotr Markielau, 24, called Alaska state troopers around midnight on Thursday to report that his newlywed wife, 24-year-old Veranika Nikanava, had died after being dragged underwater in a river outside of Denali National Park.
The couple had been returning from a trip to visit the “Magic Bus,” located about 100 miles southwest of Fairbanks, where Chris McCandless died after living in it for about four months. McCandless donated his life savings after graduating college and hitchhiked to Alaska. His story was made famous by the 1996 book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, which was later adapted into a 2007 movie directed by Sean Penn.
The publicity from the book and film has pushed hikers to the area to see the infamous abandoned bus. Markielau and Nikanava had spent two days camping at the bus before they decided to head back. According to a dispatch from the Alaska state troopers, the Teklanika River was “running high and swift” because of recent rainfall when the couple tried to cross.
Markielau crossed first, but as Nikanava was about two-fifths of the way across, she called for help. Her husband went back into the waist-deep water and attempted to rescue her. Markielau managed to reach her, but she lost her footing, hanging on to him as they were pulled downstream.
“I felt really horrible at that moment,” Markielau told the Washington Post.
Markielau was able to pull her to shore about 75 to 100 feet downstream where he said he thought that she died in his arms. Markielau had to walk about four hours away to find other people and call authorities. Law enforcement is investigating but said they don’t believe foul play was involved.
The couple was married in New York less than a month before the tragic death. She graduated from the New York Film Academy last year.
“She was really loving,” Markielau said. “She was the most kind person I’ve ever met. She was really sharing this love with everyone. I got the bigger part of this love.”
