Two four-year-old boys and a woman died when their boat capsized on an Arizona lake.
The accident happened Friday afternoon at Lake Powell in Navajo Canyon. A 25-foot pontoon boat was being towed by another boat when waves caused it to tip over. Several of the 11 passengers ended up trapped under the boat.
The victims were Melissa Bean, 72, and four-year-old Gabriel Hart and Zeniff Cox. The National Park Service received a call at 3:18 p.m. and sent rangers to help. Some boaters nearby also helped rescue the victims.
Emergency responders from the park service and Page Fire Department provided on-site medical care. Two people were taken to the hospital by helicopter. The victims were all from the same family, though the exact relations are not clear.
The Cox family said they lost three loved ones in this tragic accident and are heartbroken. Other family members are in the hospital, including 7-year-old Audrey Cox, who is in a medically induced coma. Bean’s husband, Roland “Rock” Bean, is also hospitalized with injuries.
A fundraising page has collected over $40,000 to help cover funeral costs, medical bills, and support for the grieving parents. The National Park Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident and have expressed their condolences to the families. Lt. Adam Simonsen from the Sheriff’s Office noted that while they investigate water-related deaths regularly, the scale of this tragedy is unusual and deeply sorrowful.