A WOMAN has died in the Grand Canyon national park after falling into the Colorado River during a rafting trip.
She has been identified as 68-year-old Mary Kelley, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Kelley was on the ninth day of a multi-day rafting trip down the river when she fell into the water near Hance Rapid, according to a statement from the National Parks Service.
Members of the rafting group pulled her out of the water, but she was unresponsive as they began performing CPR.
Grand Canyon National Park officials said they were alerted to an emergency by the private river trip at about 11:18am.
Park rangers were flown into the location via helicopter, but all resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.
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Hance Rapid is located where Red Canyon intersects the Colorado River.
The Hance Rapid is a highly powerful whitewater rapid that was formed by debris from flash floods, according to the NPS.
An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the NPS and the medical examiner of Coconino County, Arizona.
The Grand Canyon has been the scene for numerous drownings, including one in January.
Rebecca Copeland, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, was camping with a commercial rafting group on the banks of the Colorado River when a flood washed away their campsite.
Other members of her group were evacuated from the canyon by air in critical condition.
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A spokesperson said many of the campers were “seriously bludgeoned” by debris in the water.
A rafting group found Copeland’s body Friday morning, along with one other previously missing camper who was not injured in the flood
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