GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. — The search for a missing father continues in Glenwood Canyon after his raft capsized, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said.
Just after 2 p.m. on Sunday, the Glenwood Springs Fire Department and the sheriff’s office responded to a report of a missing rafter in Glenwood Canyon, near Grizzly Creek.
Authorities learned that a father and his son had gone into the river to raft to the New Castle area. However, the raft capsized. Witnesses told emergency personnel that the son swam to shore but the father, holding onto the raft, continued downstream, the sheriff's office said.
Firefighters began rescue efforts by searching both banks of the river from the Grizzly Creek rest area off Interstate 70 to Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs.
After two hours, the fire department cleared the area to allow Garfield County Search and Rescue to begin their efforts.
The search and rescue teams suspended the search around 8 p.m.
The sheriff's office is treating this as a missing persons case.
The father has been described as a 65-year-old man last seen in a gray shirt or hoodie with yellow and white gloves. It's not clear if he was wearing a personal flotation device.
As white water rafting season continues, the sheriff's office asked the public to remember the following guidelines:
- Always wear a personal flotation device
- When on white water rapids, wear a helmet designed for water usage
- Raft in groups with two or more rafts or watercraft
- Make sure someone on shore or at home knows the area or stretch of water you plan to visit
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