Displaying items by tag: smokemont kayaking death

An Ohio woman drowned Thursday while kayaking the Oconaluftee River near Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

It was the first fatality of the year in the park.

Rangers said Megan Thompson, 34, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio was trapped underwater “between a fallen tree and the riverbank” after floating through a rapid. It was not immediately clear whether she was out of her boat.

Her fellow boaters alerted rangers at 2:18 p.m. and her body was recovered at 2:57 p.m., according to a release from the park service.

Drowning is the third-leading cause of death in the Smokies, after vehicle and aircraft accidents.

This story will be updated.