Man dies in white water rafting accident near Longview

Update (July 24, 2012): Arun  Anbazhagan age 35, from Chennai India has been identified as the male who died after a rafting accident of the Highwood River west of Longview, Alberta on Sunday 22 July 2012. A  family representative in India has spoken with an RCMP Turner Valley Member and been appraised of the details.

Original story:

On Sunday, July 22 2012 at 2:00 pm RCMP Turner Valley, Alberta were called to the edge of the Highwood River approximately eight kilometers west of Longview. There a male was found with no signs of life. EMS, including STARS Air Ambulance, attended and attempted to resuscitate him however he never regained consciousness. 

The investigation revealed that the deceased subject was white water rafting with four friends when the raft descended a waterfall and flipped in the fast moving river. The other subjects made it safely to shore but the deceased drifted downstream where nearby swimmers saw him floating face down. They pulled him from the water but had to scramble a steep two hundred foot bank to call for help.

The deceased subject is a 35 year old male from Calgary. He was wearing a helmet and a life jacket.

The name has not been released pending Next of Kin notification. RCMP Victim Services workers attended the scene to help the distraught friends of the deceased.