3rd body found on Colorado River after weekend boating accident

PHOENIX — The bodies of two more boaters were found in the Colorado River on Tuesday after two boats crashed last weekend, sinking both boats and injuring more than a dozen people.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said the body of 50-year-old Brian Grabowski of Tulare, California, was found around 9 a.m. About 3½ hours later, the body of 24-year-old Kirra Drury of Ventura, California, was located.

That brought the total of confirmed fatalities to three.

Christine Lewis, 51, of Visalia, California, was discovered in a section of the river along the California-Arizona border on Monday.

One other unidentified boater remained unaccounted for.

A recreational boat carrying 10 people and another vessel with six people on board collided head-on along the well-traveled stretch of the river, the office said.

Both boats sank, and passing boaters pulled crash victims from the water. Nine people were injured, with two in critical condition, authorities said.

The cause of the crash is being investigated.

None of the boaters were wearing life jackets, which aren’t required but are recommended by authorities, Mohave County Sheriff Doug Shuster said.

The crash occurred between two popular marinas and near Moabi Regional Park, as people enjoyed the Labor Day weekend.

Helicopters have been deployed as part of the search, and authorities have scoured the shoreline. Divers have been sent into the river, which can run as deep as 30 feet (9 meters).

“These efforts will continue until all of those who are missing and unaccounted for have been located,” Shuster told reporters.

Authorities closed off a stretch of the river where the search was taking place.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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