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2 canal swimmers critically injured after being swept 100-yards down pipe near Winter Park

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WINTER PARK, Colo. — Two people swimming in a canal near Winter Park were critically injured after they traveled 100-yards down a pipe Saturday afternoon, according to a release from the Fraser Winter Park Police Department.

The two swimmers, a man and a woman in their early 20s, were airlifted to Saint Anthony’s Hospital.

The woman was found in the water with facial trauma and a broken leg, police said.

The man was found unresponsive in the lower part of the canal more than 200-yards north of where the woman was found, according to the release.

Their names have not been released. But police say they are Grand County residents.

The two were swimming in the canal that parallels Forest Service Road 128 (Water Board Road) when the incident occurred.

Police said the two were in the water near the entrance of line before they were taken into the pipe.

It’s unclear how the two got sucked into the pipe, but police say alcohol may have played a role in the accident.

An investigation is ongoing.