One person has died while two others remain missing after six people were swept down a waterfall in Oregon over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Deschutes county sheriff’s office announced a multi-agency search and rescue operation after the group went over Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River west of Bend on Saturday afternoon.
At approximately 2.57pm, authorities received a report of the incident, which immediately prompted a response from multiple agencies including the county sheriff’s office and Bend fire and rescue.
Using drones from Bend police and aerial search support provided by Airlink, three individuals were located and rescued from the river and transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance. One person was pronounced dead at the scene and two others remain missing.
The sheriff’s office said that search and rescue teams continued recovery efforts into the evening and would work until sunset, adding that if unsuccessful, operations would pause overnight and resume in the morning.
Authorities are not yet releasing the names of the victims and survivors to allow for proper family notification.
According to the US Forest Service, the area is a popular place for picnicking and viewing Dillon Falls along the Deschutes River. There is an accessible 0.3-mile long trail that goes from the west end of the day use area and connects to the Deschutes River trail, going upriver and over a short pedestrian bridge, the US Forest Service added.
