DINOSAUR, Colo. — The 47-year-old who was the latest victim in a string of drownings across Colorado rivers as heavy snow melt causes fast-moving water in areas popular for rafting has been identified.
Anthony Vasi, of Newport Beach, California, was part of a group that included family and friends on a commercial rafting trip Saturday when the raft became stuck on some rocks, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
The Dinosaur National Monument was notified of the raft issue by satellite text at 12:40 p.m. Saturday on the Green River at Triplet Falls.
Dinosaur National Monument, Classic Air Medical, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office coordinated search and rescue efforts.
The raft entered part of the rapids known as the “Birth Canal” and became stuck on the rocks. Several passengers, including Vasi, were thrown into the water, according to the release. Members of the rafting trip provided CPR, but Vasi was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:30 p.m. when Classic Air Medical arrived.
The river was flowing at approximately 2,350 cubic feet per second at the time of the incident, according to the release.