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Man dies after falling from raft in Arkansas River near Salida

Posted at 1:43 PM, Jun 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-28 15:43:43-04

SALIDA, Colo. – A man rafting on the Arkansas River near Salida Tuesday died after falling from the craft amid heavy rapids.

A 911 call came into Chaffee County dispatch around 2:30 p.m. Deputies and rescue crews arrived a short time later in Browns Canyon and found the victim in the water.

Crews immediately began CPR, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. Medical crews pronounced the man dead on the scene.

Chaffee County authorities say the man was on a private raft with other people when he was ejected. No other injuries among the other rafters were reported.

The raft was maneuvering through a part of the river called Widow Maker Rapids when the victim fell. The difficulty of the rapids where the incident occurred is considered to be at the intermediate level.

The Chaffee County Coroner will release the victim’s name once family is notified.

This was the second fatal rafting accident in Colorado Tuesday. A 64-year-old Weld County man died after the raft he was in flipped on the Poudre River.