River in National Park Claims 2 Lives in As Many Weeks

Two people have died in as many weeks at the same spot in California's Sequoia National Park. Per USA Today, the swift and dangerous Kaweah River most recently claimed the life of a 22-year-old man who leaped in to save a 5-year-old boy who'd slipped into the rapids Saturday morning. The boy was pulled from the water with the help of his parents and several fishermen. The boy was given CPR and was resuscitated. However, the man who risked his life to save him didn't make it after fast current pushed him beneath the whitewater and he drowned. Earlier in June, the National Park Service said a Los Angeles man was killed in the same river.

Authorities were called to the scene midday on Sunday, June 10, when they found the lifeless body of a 33-year-old. He was found near the same spot where the boy slipped into the Kaweah. While slippery rocks and slopes can just as easily claim lives on this river, park officials warned visitors not to attempt to enter the dangerous waterway. “With rising area temperatures, rivers look very inviting. Please stay away as they are swift, cold, and dangerous,” said Elizabeth Dietzen, US Park Ranger. While other rescues have occurred this season, the 33-year-old was the first fatality. No names were released in either case.

(More National Park Service stories.)