Alaska-based river guide dies on rafting trip near B.C.-Yukon border
An American woman is dead after river-rafting mishap last weekend near the B.C.-Yukon border.
Yukon's coroner said Thursday that 33-year-old Marin Elizabeth Pitt, an experienced river guide, died while out on a group excursion down the Blanchard and Tatshenshini Rivers.
A news release says that the group of 24 people — all river guides based out of Haines, Alaska — had a day off on Sunday and were enjoying a recreational paddle when the incident happened. The area is a popular spot for guided rafting trips.
The trouble began when the group, divided among four rafts, reached some rapids at the confluence of the Blanchard and Tatshenshini Rivers. The water was high and one of the rafts "high-sided" on a rock, the coroner says, and flipped sending Pitt and four others into the water.
The four other people were quickly pulled from the water but Pitt "was in the water for several minutes before resurfacing," the coroner says. Pitt was then pulled into another raft but could not be resuscitated.
Pitt was originally from Utah and had been working as a river guide in Haines since April. The coroner says Pitt had more than 10 years of experience in rafting and guiding, and was wearing full safety gear, including a PFD, wet/dry suit, and appropriate under-clothing, when the incident happened.
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