One man dead, another missing after rafting accident in Colorado River

On Saturday, a man was killed in a rafting accident on the Colorado River, and another member of the rafting group is missing. The third member of the rafting accident was able to get to safety.

According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, the rafting group was in the Yarmony Rapids area of ​​the river southwest of Kremmling when the accident occurred. The dispatch center received a text message to 911 at about 3:40 p.m. Additional information from a Garmin device reported that one or more bystanders were performing CPR on the man, who was not breathing.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene and the man was pronounced dead by EMS. He is 56 years old and from the Denver metropolitan area. His body is being handled by the Grand County Medical Examiner. The medical examiner will release his identity and cause of death at a later date.

The search for the missing person is ongoing. The first search operations took place at the Yarmony Rapid and downstream, where the raft is believed to have capsized.

According to preliminary reports, none of the victims were wearing life jackets.

Grand County Search and Rescue, Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County Emergency Medical 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 initially responded to the area as the accident was reported on the Grand-Eagle County line.

Rescuers used additional rafts, ground crews, unmanned aerial systems and a Union Pacific Railroad Hi-Rail facility to search for the missing man. The missing man’s identity will not be released until his family is notified. He is 61 years old and also from the Denver metropolitan area.

The Yarmony Rapid in the upper reaches of the Colorado River is considered Class II, but increases to a Class III rapid at 1,500 cfs and above. The river can flow as high as 5,000 cfs or more. At higher flows, a large hole forms over a boulder on the right side of the rapid. This hole can cause rafts to capsize. Rapids classes range from I to VI, with I being considered easy crossing and VI being extremely dangerous.