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A 12-year-old boy drowned Wednesday during a class rafting trip in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.
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Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a sixth grader at Pierson Middle School in Sag Harbor, New York, died when the raft he was riding in capsized on the Lehigh River in East Penn Township, according to local authorities. The outing was part of an annual school field trip that included a guided rafting excursion.
The Carbon County Coroner\u2019s Office said in a press release that officials responded after receiving a report of a drowning near the river\u2019s 99-mile marker.
All five people aboard the raft were ejected into the water when it overturned, the press release said, and one person did not resurface. The Lehighton Fire Department dive team recovered his body and transported him to a nearby staging area, the coroner\u2019s office said.
The coroner\u2019s office described the death as an accidental drowning.
Mike Parker, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission spokesperson, told NBC News that life jackets were in use at the time of the accident, but added that \u201cany incident involving a recreational boating fatality\u201d would trigger a review of all safety equipment as part of the investigation.
Parker said boating can be unpredictable and that \u201cfatalities are not something they deal with often.\u201d
There were 10 recreational boating fatalities in Pennsylvania last year, eight of which involved people who not wearing a life jacket.
\u201cBut even with a life jacket on … there\u2019s still other factors,\u201d Parker added. \u201cAnd unfortunately, that\u2019s what we seem to be dealing with in this case.\u201d
Jeff Nichols, the superintendent of the Sag Harbor school district, said in a statement that \u201cCesar was a cherished member of our school family \u2014 a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him.\u201d
\u201cHis absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways, and our lives,\u201d Nichols added.
He extended condolences to Cesar\u2019s family and friends and said school counselors are available to provide support.
Hilary and Steve Bretzik, the owners of Whitewater Rafting Adventures, said in a statement that their \u201centire team is heartbroken by what occurred\u201d and that their first concern is for Cesar\u2019s family and friends.
Francie Ebert is a news associate at NBC News Digital.
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