Two killed during river rafting trip on Nooksack River

GLACIER, Wash. — The bodies of two people were found after a raft overturned on the north fork of the Nooksack River earlier this week.

On Tuesday at around 3 p.m., deputies were sent to an area near the Snowline neighborhood in Glacier after a commercially operated river raft had overturned on the river. Four customers and a guide were on board. Two females were rescued by the guide and two males were swept downstream, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.

Swift water rescue technicians, a K-9 team, drone operators and a Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue team were called for the search. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter arrived at around 4:30 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m., local kayakers associated with Glacier Fire & Rescue found the body of a young male submerged in a log jam about a half-mile from where the raft had overturned.

The search for the second missing person was suspended at dusk until the next morning.

On Wednesday at 7:30 a.m., the search for the second male resumed. At 3:45 p.m., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter found the body of the missing male downriver from the Highway 542 bridge, just west of Glacier.

Neither of the victims had any obvious signs of trauma.

The Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the young male to have died by drowning. The cause of death for the second male has yet to be determined but is also believed to be drowning.

Both victims were wearing wetsuits, helmets and lifejackets.

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