Death toll on Colorado rivers is rising because of heavy spring snowmelt

The deaths of two women in the Gunnison River on Friday brought the death toll in state waterways to five, and officials across the state are warning people to take caution when in the water because of heavy spring runoff.

The women died in separate incidents, according to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. A 31-year-old woman was paddle-boarding just west of Gunnison when she fell into swift currents and got stuck in a tree in the river. About two hours later, a 65-year-old woman died in a rafting accident where the Gunnison enters the eastern end of Blue Mesa Reservoir.

On Thursday, a woman died in a rafting accident on a guided trip on the San Juan River in Southwest Colorado. Her raft flipped in a whitewater section of the river north of Pagosa Springs, and she was swept three miles downstream, according to the Durango Herald.

Earlier in June, a 29-year-old man died in a rafting accident on the Eagle River near Avon. And a 42-year-old Texas man, who was on a rafting trip with Boy Scouts, died after his raft flipped on the Arkansas River west of Canon City.

Read more: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/24/death-toll-colorado-rivers-snowmelt/