1 dead, 2 injured in boating accident at Grand Canyon National Park
Apr 28, 2021, 10:09 AM
(Flickr Photo/Grand Canyon National Park)
(Flickr Photo/Grand Canyon National Park)
PHOENIX — One person died and two were injured Monday in a boating accident on the Colorado River inside Grand Canyon National Park, authorities said.
A commercial river trip requested help around 11 a.m. Monday after a motorized raft overturned near Kwagunt Rapid, which has a 12-foot drop and ranks in the middle for difficulty. It’s about 56 miles down the river from where the trip launched at Lees Ferry.
A cold front had moved in with strong winds and snow on the canyon’s rim, preventing the park’s helicopter from responding immediately. Crews in two rescue boats set out later Monday and reached the site Tuesday morning, Grand Canyon spokeswoman Kaitlyn Thomas said.
A 60-year-old woman who had other family members on the trip died, and two other adults had shoulder injuries.
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The woman’s death is the third this year within Grand Canyon National Park. The other two were probable suicides, with bodies recovered below the rim, Thomas said.
No other information was immediately available.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
