A 68-year-old Colorado woman died after she fell into a powerful whitewater rapid during a group boating trip in Grand Canyon National Park, park officials said.
Mary Kelley, Steamboat Springs, Colorado was the woman identified. Kelley had been on the 9th day of a multi-day private boating trip, CBS News reported.
According to a report, the tragedy occurred on Thursday morning at 11:18 AM. Park officials were alerted via a personal locator beacon that was sent from a noncommercial river trip near Hance Rapid on Colorado River. Statement By the National Park Service (NPS).
Officials at the park said Kelley had entered river at Hance Rapid, where Red Canyon intersects with Colorado River at River Mile 77.
“This is a highly technical and powerful whitewater rapid that was formed by debris from flash floods that tore through Red Canyon,”According to park officials
A private boating group helped Kelley to safety. They administered CPR to revive her, but she wasn’t responding. The park rangers were unable to save her life when they arrived on the scene via helicopter.
Officials from the Park said that an investigation was underway by the National Park Service, Coconino County Medical Examiner and other agencies.