Governor Sean Parnell announced Tuesday afternoon that he was temporarily suspending public campaign activity in aftermath of a plane crash north of Dillingham that killed former Senator Ted Stevens and four others.
Parnell is locked in a August 24 primary contest with five other Republican candidates.
“Alaska has suffered a tremendous tragedy,” Parnell said in a statement Tuesday. “We feel deep sorrow for all of those who passed away in the plane crash, as well as for their families and loved ones. We continue to pray for the survivors, their loved ones and friends.”
At least five of the nine on the single-engine float plane were killed, according to authorities. Survivors have been airlifted to Anchorage for treatment.
Sean O’Keefe, former NASA administrator and his son, are among the survivors.
“The death of Senator Ted Stevens is especially shocking to the Alaska family, Parnell said. “Senator Stevens was truly the ‘Alaskan of the Century.’ His imprint on Alaska is found in every corner of our state, and we will greatly miss him.”
Photo by Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage: Governor Sean Parnell addresses the death of former-Senator Ted Stevens in a press conference at the Governor’s office in Anchorage on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 10.
