8 Die in Swollen River...
At least eight people died recently in the U.S. when they ventured into swollen rivers, most of them in small aluminum boats. In one case the boat was overcrowded and capsized. In another, the boat capsized as it got caught in the undertow by a bridge piling. This happens every year. Boaters need to wait until high waters recede before doing their boating.
Boat in flood.
Last week on the Red River…
See Local News Channel video of accident scene…
A 16-year-old girl and a 25-year-old man are both missing after a boat they were on capsized in the Red River just off of the Coushatta boat launch in Red River Parish. (See video above.)
Sheriff’s officials say just after midnight Thursday morning a group of six went out on a small aluminum boat. They say when the boat made it near the first pillar of the Couchatta bridge, it went under. Four of the six, including the brother of the man that is missing, were able to make it back to shore, but the other two never did.
The waters in the Red River have been unusually high with the currents moving very fast.
…And on the Delaware River…
One man swam to safety but two other men were missing last night after the three New Jersey residents fell from their capsized boat into the Delaware River across from Sussex County, authorities said. The incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. (Thursday, April 3rd) in the Delaware Water Gap area, according to Deb Nordeen, a spokeswoman for the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
One 58-year-old man reached the Old Mine Road near the Van Campen Inn on the New Jersey side of the river and was taken by ambulance to Newton Memorial Hospital. The other two men, ages 56 and 62, remain missing.
Because of runoff from recent rain, the river was about five feet above normal yesterday, and the water temperature was about 40 degrees. The water also was flowing downstream at a "pretty good rate," Nordeen added.
Man Missing After Boat Capsizes in Atchafalaya River. Watch video.
An Arnaudville man is still missing after his boat capsized Thursday on the Atchafalaya River in Krotz Springs, LA. Raymond Richard and his uncle, Edward Stelly, were on the river when a log hit their boat causing it to flip. Both men were thrown from the boat. Stelly was wearing a life jacket and was able to cling to some debris. Terry Johnson spotted Stelly and rescued him.
Richard was last seen trying to swim back to the boat but now he and the boat are missing.
…on the Tennessee River 3 Die near bridge…
Three people died after a boat capsized in the Tennessee River near a bridge.
Kristi Brown, spokeswoman for Humphreys County sheriff's office, said emergency dispatchers received a call reporting the incident just north of the Tennessee River Bridge around 9 p.m. Saturday.
Six people have been rescued but one of them later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The boat capsized near New Johnsonville, about 86 miles west of Nashville.