BBC:
A 26-year-old man drowned after jumping from his boat into the Colorado River to retrieve his hat that had blown into the water.
Police identified the man as Kristopher Nathaniel Logan of California, who began struggling to swim and did not resurface after entering the river, according to a statement.
A dive team later recovered Logan’s body, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said the incident appeared to be accidental and noted that Logan was not wearing a life jacket at the time.
The death has prompted officials to warn Colorado River users to wear recommended safety gear, including life jackets, regardless of their swimming ability.
Davis Camp, in Mohave County near the Arizona-Nevada border, is a popular destination for water adventurers, bird watching, and tourists travelling with campervans.
Emergency crews responded to the incident on Monday morning at around 11:15 local time (14:15 EDT; 19:15 BST) after receiving reports of a possible drowning near Davis Camp.
Police in Bullhead City, Arizona, said Logan was on a rented pontoon boat with friends, enjoying a recreational outing on the river, and they also had plans to fish.
The county’s park administrator Bo Hellams told the BBC they were “fishing the waterway in front of Davis Camp property closer to the Nevada side of the waterway during the time of the incident”.
It was then that his hat blew off and Logan jumped into the river to retrieve it, and never resurfaced.
Fire department personnel recovered his body from the bottom of the river.
The Colorado River, the seventh longest US river, runs through several states including Arizona, before entering desert sands in Mexico.
“We urge everyone that occupies the Colorado River waterway to follow all Coast Guard recommendations and regulations,” Hellams said, adding that everyone should “wear recommended personal protective equipment regardless of assumed swimming ability.”
