Colorado man dies in rafting accident, another man missing

A Colorado man has died and another is still missing after a rafting accident on the Colorado River in Grand County. (Courtesy: Grand County Sheriff’s Office)

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) – A Colorado man is dead and another man is still missing following a rafting accident Saturday afternoon in Grand County.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred on the Colorado River in Gore Canyon southwest of Kremmling.

According to the sheriff’s office, a 911 call came in around 3:40 p.m. on Saturday reporting that a man had stopped breathing on the Colorado River. When emergency responders arrived on the scene, they learned that it was a rafting accident and that a passerby was performing CPR.

The 56-year-old man was later pronounced dead by emergency services.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said another man was still missing after the raft capsized. Rescue workers used additional rafts, ground crews, unmanned aerial systems and a Union Pacific Railroad Hi-Rail to search the river and surrounding area for the 61-year-old man, but were unable to locate him.

The identities of the two men have not been released at this time pending notification of immediate family members, but the sheriff’s office said they are both from the Denver metropolitan area.

According to preliminary reports, the two men were not wearing life jackets.

A third person from the group reached land safely and may be missing, officials said.

The Grand County Coroner’s Office will release the identity and cause of death of the 56-year-old man at a later date.

Grand County Search and Rescue, Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County Emergency Services, Bureau of Land Management, Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle County Paramedics, Rock Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Greater Eagle Fire Protection District and Vail Mountain Rescue all arrived at the scene.

The Bureau of Land Management River Rangers will conduct additional searches on Sunday.

This is a developing story and more information will be provided as it becomes available.