This is on the upper stretch of the river; it’s very narrow, steep, and fast!
2 rafters missing, presumed drowned in frigid Clackamas River
Published: May. 21, 2023, 1:02 p.m.
By Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Officials are warning the public of the dangers of the swift and cold Clackamas River after two rafters disappeared Friday and were still missing Sunday. According to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, a 61-year-old man said he and two other men were trying to cross the river by raft to Austin Hot Springs when their raft flipped. All of the men were washed down the river. The 61-year-old made it to shore but couldn’t find the other men. Sheriff’s officials described him as the “lone survivor.” The missing men are brothers, ages 66 and 67, sheriff’s officials said.
Austin Hot Springs is private property, and sheriff’s officials say the public should not try to visit it. It’s located about 30-miles southeast of Estacada, when the most direct route is open to vehicular traffic. Currently, it’s a 50-mile drive from town.
Clackamas County Search and Rescue located the men’s car on a U.S. Forest Service road Friday. Searchers looked for the men, continuing even after nightfall, but were hampered by the high volume of fast-moving water in the river.
The search continued Saturday with help from Clackamas County Search and Rescue volunteers, Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office aircraft and drones, but the men weren’t found.
-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com
Two men still missing following rafting accident Friday on the Clackamas River
by KATU Staff
May 21st 2023
CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says two men remain missing following a rafting accident on Friday. Three men were trying to cross the Clackamas River to access the Austin Hot Springs early Friday when the raft flipped, sending all three men down the river. A 61-year-old man, the lone survivor, searched the area but wasn’t able to find the other two men, officials say.
Clackamas County Search and Rescue were activated to locate the two missing men, brothers, ages 66 and 67 when their vehicle was located on a Forest Service Road.
Officials say searchers were limited by fading daylight and a swift-moving river. Search efforts continued Saturday with volunteers, Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, Hood River County Sheriff’s Office aircraft, and drones. The men remain missing.
The Sheriff’s Office is warning people recreating along the Clackamas River to use extreme caution as river levels are high and the currents are fast moving. Water temperatures are also still cold. Officials say that Austin Hot Springs is private property and is closed to the public.
Body of missing rafter found in Clackamas River
by KATU Staff
May 25th 2023, 1:29 AM EDT
The body of one of the rafters missing in the Clackamas River has been recovered. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says the body of 65-year-old Vasiliy Zagreychuk of Gresham was found by a U.S. Forest Service officer on Tuesday afternoon in logs and debris blocking part of the river. A second man, his brother, is still missing.
Three men were trying to cross the river on Friday to get to Austin Hot Springs when their raft overturned. One of the men survived. Zagreychuk's body was found approximately 2.8 miles downriver from where they attempted to cross. The sheriff's office says search and recovery efforts for the second missing man have officially ended.