Pueblo West man dies in rafting accident near Canon City

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Fremont County Sheriff's Office says a 53-year-old man from Pueblo West died in a rafting trip Friday after he was thrown from the raft and drifted downstream in the Arkansas River.

It happened about five miles from Canon City at the Narrows Rapid, which is a class IV-V rapid -- that puts the area into the difficult-extremely difficult rating. According to the sheriff's office, the river was flowing 2780 CFS at a nearby gauging station at the time of the accident.

The raft went over a hydraulic hole, and the man was ejected from the raft. He was wearing a helmet and personal flotation device and drifted downstream before he was recovered. He later died at a hospital.

The man hasn't been identified yet, and the sheriff's office says it's having difficulty locating family members.