On Saturday May 22, 2021, at approximately 2:38 p.m., Glen Canyon Communications Center was notified by a 911 call of a possible drowning on Lake Powell near Friendship Cove within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Friendship Cove is located between Last Chance Bay and Rock Creek Bay, approximately 33 miles from the Glen Canyon Dam, in Kane County, Utah.
Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and National Park Service (NPS) Rangers arrived on scene at approximately 3:30 p.m. Witnesses stated the missing male had slid off their rental house boat’s slide and could not swim back to the boat due to wind. He was not wearing a life jacket. The victim drowned and has been identified as Subrahmaniyan Mathimohan, a 34-year old male from Phoenix, Arizona.
On May 22, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and NPS Rangers searched the area by boat while Classic Air Medical searched by air. Agencies searched until sunset but did not find the missing male. On the morning of May 23, 2021, NPS Rangers resumed the search by boat while Classic Air Medical searched by air. At approximately 2:15 p.m., the victim was recovered by the Glen Canyon Dive Team. The victim was transported to the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office in Salt Lake City for an autopsy. The incident is under investigation by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, National Park Service, and the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office.
The National Park Service, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office express our condolences to the victim’s family and friends. No further information is available at this time.
All boaters are reminded to be aware of changing weather conditions, to immediately seek safe haven in high winds or storms, and to always wear life jackets when boating and recreating on or around water. Life jackets save lives.: https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/safety.htm, and Ten Things You Need To Know Before You Boat
Tags: glen canyon national recreation area lake powell drowning kane county houseboating lifejacket water safety weather safety recreate responsibly search and recovery dive team
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
