Swiss woman drowns in Alaska river near site from book, movie, ‘Into the Wild’

Swiss woman drowns near ‘Into the Wild’ site

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Alaska State Troopers say a Swiss woman who was trying to wade across a swollen Alaska river to see an abandoned bus made famous in the movie “Into the Wild” has drowned.

Troopers say 29-year-old Claire Jane Ackermann attempted to cross the Teklanika River with a 27-year-old man from France on Saturday when they lost their footing and were pulled under by the current. The man survived.

The old Fairbanks city bus was where 24-year-old Chris McCandless camped out and starved to death in 1992. It has become a destination for adventurers.

The 2007 movie was an adaptation of the Jon Krakauer book about McCandless, who began wandering across the country after college.

Information from: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, www.newsminer.com