1 Dead, 1 Rescued After Canoe Flips On Allegheny River Near Sharpsburg
SHARPSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- One person is dead after a canoe flipped on the Allegheny River.
Two men in their 60s capsized in a canoe on Wednesday around 4 p.m. on the Allegheny River near Sharpsburg, authorities said.
One of the men was rescued and taken to a local hospital in stable condition. Police say bystanders on a rental boat saw the man hanging on the side of the canoe. He was pulled on board and rescued.
The other man's body was found late Wednesday night. He did not have a life jacket on when found.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified him as 64-year-old Ralph Fuchs of Blawnox.
"The water is cold, so somebody who falls into the water has a very short amount of time to be able to try and rescue themselves before the cold water is going to make them incapable of trying to be self-rescued. In this case, the position that they were in and that cold water temperature probably contributed to a bad outcome," Etna Fire Chief Greg Porter said.
Police believe the two men were likely fishing.
"It makes you realize the river is dangerous. This isn't the first one we've seen here," said witness Chris Sybo.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Sharpsburg Police led the search using boats, jetskis and drones.
Police are reviewing security footage from the boat launch to see what may have caused this incident to happen. At this time, it is not known how the canoe capsized.