GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) – A Chattanooga woman has died after falling into the water at the Grand Canyon National Park and getting caught by the Colorado River’s swift current, authorities said Monday.
Park officials said 47-year-old Sheetal Patel, originally of Chicago, Illinois, and most recently from Chattanooga, Tennessee, was cooling off Saturday afternoon along Pipe Creek Beach when the accident occurred.
Commercial guides were able to reach the woman by boat and tried to revive her.
Rangers were flown into the location by a park helicopter and Patel was pronounced dead.
According to park officials, Patel reportedly had hiked into the Grand Canyon to meet a multi-day commercial boating trip from Phantom Ranch.