3 kayakers found dead on Alaskan glacial lake

Anchorage, Alaska -- Authorities in Alaska are investigating the deaths of three kayakers whose bodies were found in the waters of a glacial lake.

Officials in the port city of Valdez say they were found near the toe of Valdez Glacier.

City spokeswoman Sheri Pierce told the Anchorage Daily News responders recovered the bodies Tuesday afternoon, about four hours after a guide spotted two of them while leading a tour group on Valdez Glacier Lake. The lake is approximately 7 miles northwest of Valdez and 120 miles east of Anchorage.

The guide said there were two bodies in the water, according to Pierce, adding that two bodies were found floating on the water and the third was on an ice floe.

Pierce told the newspaper the kayakers were German tourists – a married couple and a man, all in their sixties.

The glacier is calving, or shedding ice, which Pierce said slowed responders in reaching the bodies.

She said it's too early to say what might have led to the deaths but foul play isn't suspected at this time.

"If they were knocked out of the boat due to a wake or a calving piece of ice, the water is very cold," Pierce told the Daily News.