LAKE POWELL, Kane County, Utah, June 1, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 34-year-old Phoenix man died last month while boating in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, says a joint statement released Tuesday by the National Park Service and the Kane County Sheriff’s Department.
First responders were called to the scene at 2:38 p.m. on Saturday, May 22. They were notified of a possible drowning at Lake Powell near Friendship Cove, which is between Last Chance Bay and Rock Creek Bay, approximately 33 miles from the Glen Canyon Dam, in Kane County, Utah.
“Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and National Park Service (NPS) Rangers arrived on scene at approximately 3:30 p.m.,” the statement says. “Witnesses stated the missing male had slid off their rental house boat’s slide and could not swim back to the boat due to wind. He was not wearing a life jacket.”
The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Subrahmaniyan Mathimohan, of Phoenix, Arizona.
Sheriff’s officials and NPS rangers searched the area by boat while Classic Air Medical searched by air. Agencies searched until sunset but did not find Mathimohan. On the morning of May 23, 2021, NPS Rangers resumed the search by boat while Classic Air Medical searched by air.
The victim’s body was recovered at 2:15 p.m. that day by the Glen Canyon Dive Team. Mathimohan’s body was taken to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office.
“The National Park Service, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office express our condolences to the victim’s family and friends,” the statement says.
To read about “Subbu” Mathimohan, click this GoFundMe link.
The joint statement from NPS and Kane County asked all boaters to be aware of changing weather conditions, to immediately seek safe haven in high winds or storms, and to always wear life jackets when boating and recreating on or around water, adding “Life jackets save lives.”
More safety information is available here: https://www.nps.gov/glca/
