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Man dies after motorboat flips at Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon Fatal Motorboat Flip
Posted at 11:06 AM, Sep 12, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-12 13:07:42-04

National Park Service officials said a man died after a motorboat flipped on the Colorado River over the weekend.

Grand Canyon National Park officials said they were notified Saturday shortly after 2 p.m. when a boat flipped during a river trip near Bedrock Rapid.

In the news release, officials said 67-year-old Ronald Vanderlugt entered the river at mile 131. According to the news release, he was pulled from the water by members of the rafting group, who began performing CPR when they noticed he wasn't responsive.

The news release said that Park rangers flew by helicopter to the scene and attempted resuscitation efforts but were unsuccessful.

Park Service officials said four other people in non-critical condition were treated and flown to the South Rim Helibase.

Vanderlugt, officials said, was on his fifth day of a multi-day commercial river trip, the news release said.

According to rafting experts, the Associated Press reported that Bedrock Rapid is a rocky island that splits the river into left and right channels.

Officials said that the National Park Service and the Coconino County medical examiner are conducting an investigation.