60-year-old dies in boating accident on Colorado River in Grand Canyon, officials say

A 60-year-old woman died Monday in a boating accident on the Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park officials said.

A commercial river trip motorboat overturned, officials said. The accident killed the woman and injured two other people.

“The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a satellite phone report of a boating accident on the Colorado River near Kwagunt Rapid,” officials said in a Tuesday news release. “A commercial river trip requested assistance with an overturned motorboat and reported boater injuries.”

A crew launched rescue boats Monday, but they didn’t arrive at the scene until Tuesday. Officials also couldn’t use the park’s helicopter because of bad weather.

Many tourists take commercial river trips on the Colorado River, according to the National Park Service. Some take single-day or half-day trips, but some trips can be up to 18 days long.

“The incredible unlikelihood of a motor rig accident like this, especially in this particular location and at these water levels, comes as a total and complete shock to all of us,” John Dillon, the executive director of the Grand Canyon River Outfitters Association, told The Associated Press.

Park officials said they are investigating what caused the incident.

This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 3:07 PM with the headline "60-year-old dies in boating accident on Colorado River in Grand Canyon, officials say."