34 year old, non-swimmer, male slipped out of tube and failed to resurface in middle of 12 to 15 foot deep pool at 'Y'.
From on site WBIR TV News and Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Water was "murky" hampering rescue.
WBIR: http://www.wbir.com/news/article/175882/2/Texas-man-drowns-while-tubing-in-the-Little-River
From 7/11/11 News Sentinel: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/jul/12/texas-man-drowns-near-wye/
TOWNSEND — A man whose body was pulled from Little River at the Wye in Townsend this afternoon has been identified. Dick Chijioke, 34, of Plano, Texas, fell into a 12-foot pool of water when his rental tube tipped, according to Nancy Gray, spokeswoman for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The incident was reported at 11:22 a.m., and the victim was recovered by the Blount County Special Operations Dive Team at 12:26 p.m. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful during his transport to Blount Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m. The Wye is a popular swimming and tubing area in the park. It is at the intersection of the middle and west prongs of Little River and lies along Little River Road about 7 miles east of Cades Cove.
More details as they develop online and in Tuesday’s News Sentinel. Get Copyright Permissions © 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
