EAST PENN TWP., Pa. – A superintendent from a school district in New York identified a sixth-grade student as the victim in a deadly rafting accident in Carbon County Wednesday.
Superintendent Jeff Nichols of the Sag Harbor School District confirmed the passing of the student, stating “There are no words to adequately express the depth of this loss.”
The student was a “cherished member of our school family, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him,” Nichols said. “His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways, and our lives.”
Crews ended the search Wednesday for the student. Authorities tell us this happened when the person was rafting with a large group.
The hours-long search happened on the Lehigh River near the D&L Trail.
The PA Fish and Boat Commission said that the search was officially called off Wednesday night.
A large group of what appeared to be school-aged children were rafting Wednesday around 5 p.m. At some point, the raft flipped over.
Video from the scene shows multiple agencies searching on land and in the river for the person who fell into the water.
A raft can be seen on its side in the water up against a downed tree, reading that it’s from the “Whitewater Rafting Adventures” in Nesquehoning.
PA Fish and Boat Commission officials tell us they’re handling the investigation.