FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Three people are dead after a tubing accident near the Fun Farm Bridge and 2650 East along the Snake River in Fremont County. Fun Farm Bridge is a popular recreation spot where many go fishing and swimming.
According to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, a group of six people were floating down the Snake River and into a diversion dam, causing three people to drown after being caught in the current the dam
“Irrigation is a big part of water here in eastern Idaho. And every time you take water from the river, there’s a diversion dam that directs some water down the canal,” he said Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries, who continued. “On the downstream side of that diversion dam, the water just rolls. And it’s very easy to get caught in that turbulent water rolling on the downstream side. And that’s what happened on Sunday.”
Humphries encourages all would-be river recreationists after Sunday’s incident to take precautions before entering the water. “Be careful when they’re in the river and they’re wearing flotation devices, one of our victims today didn’t have a flotation device. He went over the dam the first time and jumped back in to help rescue someone else and didn’t make it do. do. So I admire his courage, but he wasn’t wearing a flotation device. And anyone on the river, regardless of your experience as a swimmer or boater, please wear flotation devices. And I would remind people that anyone under the age of 18 must wear a flotation device.”
Humphries also reminds people that much of the water in Fremont County is still high and still cold from the long winter.
The three bodies of the victims have been recovered. No identity has been released as the Sheriff’s Office is in the process of notifying next of kin. “That process is happening, but it’s not complete yet,” Humpries said.
