[KFC]

I know this is a long shot but I have a friend that is in some sort of trouble on a river in Tajikistan. He was on a kayaking trip with four others when they set off the Emergency signal on their SPOT beacon. As far as I know that was yesterday (9/30) and there was supposed to be some sort of helicopter search this morning that didn't happen for whatever reason. Its night again now and hoping for another heli attempt tomorrow morning.

My friend's mother was told by the State Department to try and post this info and get it to go viral so that hopefully some hiker, kayaker, mountain biker, or other tourist who might be in the area or have knowledge of the area would be able to lend a hand.

The paddlers involved are all expert paddlers and outdoorsmen and if they set off an emergency beacon, it cannot be good. The names of the paddlers are: Ben Luck, Cooper Lambla, Matt Klema, Nate Klema, and Charles King. The are in Eastern Tajikistan presumably on the Balandkiik River. Coordinates of emergency beacon are 38.83227 N, 72.860240 E

Pass it on if you can please.

 

[eric strt6]

Kayakers found alive in Tajikistan after three-day search
By Henry Austin, NBC News contributor
A helicopter search team rescued five American kayakers, including two brothers, missing for more than three days in the wilderness of the central Asian nation of Tajikistan, early Thursday.
Siblings Matt and Nate Klema, Cooper Lambla, Ben Luck and Charles King were picked up from a remote location in the Badakhshan National Park. One of them had a broken leg, but the other four were in satisfactory condition, Russian news site Ria Novosti reported, adding that they were flying to the country’s capital Dushanbe.
“We are pleased to report that the U.S. citizen kayakers in Tajikistan have been located,” a spokesperson from the U.S. embassy in Tajikistan told NBC News. “One U.S. citizen requested consular assistance, which the embassy in Dushanbe provided. We cannot provide further details regarding the group due to privacy considerations.”
The group of experienced kayakers triggered an emergency signal on their SPOT beacon on Sept. 30 through GEOS Alliance, an emergency response service. They had been preparing to cross the 16,800-foot Takhtakorum Pass before descending to the Muksu River.
All the men are experienced international kayakers and travelers, Julia Klema, the sister of Nathan and Matthew told the Durango Herald, adding that they had run rapids in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, New Zealand and India.
Ben Luck and Nate and Matt Klema were featured as Outside magazine’s Adventurers of the Year for 2011 after they kayaked Peru's Huallaga River, a 300-mile tributary that drops 7,000 feet as it runs through the Andes.
The magazine reported Tuesday that during a previous helicopter rescue attempt, a search team discovered a broken kayak with a backpack on it although immediately after that sighting, another SOS signal was sent six miles downstream.