SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — The National Park Service says two Virginia residents have died in the Gauley River in Nicholas County in recent days.
A woman identified by authorities as Lee Lenora Doyle, 63, of Monterey, Virginia, died Saturday during a rafting trip on the Gauley on the second day of Gauley Rafting Season.
NPS spokesperson Eve West said Doyle fell out of a raft near Shipwreck Rock, a known undercut rock.
“In this case the raft had not flipped. This was just one individual who had actually fallen from the raft,” West said.
As of Tuesday evening, Doyle’s body, which is believed lodged under the rocks, had yet to be recovered because of the high level of the river.
An emergency flow reduction from the Summersville Dam to the Gauley River is currently in effect. West said they’ll have to wait out the weather before trying to recover Doyle’s body.
“The park is currently in a holding pattern and conditions are being monitored to determine when the tributary will drop to make a safe recovery attempt,” she said.
The first death came last Thursday when a raft, with three people in it, flipped at the Class V Iron Ring Rapid. Two got out of the water but a man identified as Norman LaHugh Cassell, 62, of Richmond, Virginia, was found unconscious. West said an autopsy will determine the cause of death.
West said the Thursday death came during a training day for rafting guides. She said Cassell was there as part of a private party trip.
A number first responders from the local area have helped with rescue and recovery efforts.