News Release

Fatality on the Colorado River at Fossil Rapid

The Colorado River near Fossil Rapid

NPS Photo/M. Graden

News Release Date: August 27, 2024

Contact: Joelle Baird, 928-606-3154

On Sunday, August 25, at approximately 3:40 p.m., Grand Canyon National Park was alerted to an emergency via a satellite phone call from a commercial river trip near Fossil Rapid (river mile 126) on the Colorado River.

The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report that CPR was in progress on an 80-year-old male who had entered the river after his boat flipped at Fossil Rapid. Despite the efforts of the group and park rangers flown in by helicopter, all resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.

The National Park Service and Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the incident. No further information is available at this time.

-NPS-