| River: | Rio Grande |
|---|---|
| Reach #: |
Rio Grande [NM]
|
| Section: | Lower Taos Box |
| Location: | The Northwest Passage |
| Gauge: | 1000 |
| Water Level: | Medium |
| Difficulty: | IV |
| Accident Code(s): | Swim Into Undercut Trap |
| Injury Code(s): | Fatal |
| Age: | 34 |
| Experienced/Inexperienced: | Inexperienced |
| Private/Commercial: | Commercial |
| Boat Type: | Raft |
| Number of Occupants: | 3 |
| Number of Victims: | 1 |
| Initial Report: | On June 12th a rafting guest died on the Taos Box run of New Mexico's Rio Grande, which was running low at under 1000 cfs. This is the first commercial fatality on this section. The accident was reported as follows: Several boats piled up on a sieve called "the Northwest Passage". Two boats hit each other, partly blocking the main channel. The victim, a 34 year old female, was in the third raft, which broached against the other two and flipped. This impact released the first two boats, but the third was pinned. A forth boat became pinned on another rock. The victim was presumably pulled under the mess. Unpinning the boat and collecting swimmers took over an hour, during which time they determined someone was missing. An extensive search followed, first by guides, then by Taos Search and Rescue. Divers recovered the body on June 16 under 7' of water. |
| Report Status: | Completed |
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