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Rafter plunges over waterfall and dies in remote Alaska wilderness, troopers say

A Dallas, Texas, man died after his raft plunged over a waterfall on a remote rafting trip near Bethel, Alaska, state troopers say.
A Dallas, Texas, man died after his raft plunged over a waterfall on a remote rafting trip near Bethel, Alaska, state troopers say. Photo from Getty/iStock

A Texas man on a remote river rafting trip died after his raft went over a waterfall, Alaska State Troopers reported.

Larry Erwin, 53, of Dallas, was killed about 53 miles southeast of Bethel, troopers said in a July 20 dispatch. They were notified of the death at 6:21 p.m. Friday, July 19.

Erwin lost control of his inflatable raft, which plunged over a waterfall and tossed him into the water, troopers said.

He was pulled to shore but could not be revived, troopers said. His body and other rafters were evacuated by helicopter.

Bethel is about 400 miles flying distance west from Anchorage.

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This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Rafter plunges over waterfall and dies in remote Alaska wilderness, troopers say."

DS
Don Sweeney
The Sacramento Bee
Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 35 years. He is a service reporter based at The Sacramento Bee.
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