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2 Rafters Die After Accident On Arkansas River

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Jul 7, 2009 7:12 pm US/Mountain

2 Rafters Die After Accident On Arkansas River

BUENA VISTA, Colo. (CBS4/AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Arkansas River (File)
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Two Denver-area men drowned after they were thrown out of a raft in rough rapids on the Arkansas River near Buena Vista.

Chaffee County Sheriff Tim Walker says the two were in a raft with another man and a woman when the accident occurred around noon Tuesday. The people in the raft pulled one of the men out of the river, but couldn't revive him.

The second man was washed about seven miles down the river before he was pulled out. Rescuers couldn't revive him.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was pronounced dead at the hospital. The rafters' names haven't been released.

Colorado State Parks employees helped area search and rescue teams with the rescue about 120 miles southwest of Denver.

It's believed the raft was privately-owned.

Colorado State Parks Spokesperson Deb Frazier said 325,000 people a year use the Arkansas River for rafting, kayaking, and whitewater river activities.

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