Double tragedy at stunning Oregon waterfall after group got too close to edge
A group of six people went over Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River, about 10 miles from the city of Bend, on Saturday afternoon, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.
Search and rescue teams used drones to find three of the individuals in the water. Once they were rescued from the river, they were taken to a local hospital by ambulance.
One person was confirmed dead at the scene and two others remain missing as of Monday.
Dillon Falls, located within Deschutes National Forest, features a large 15-foot drop followed by a series of rapids that surge through a narrow lava rock gorge.
The drop almost immediately turns into churning rapids in a quick, step ladder-like pattern, according to Visit Central Oregon.
Jason Carr, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told The Oregonian the group of unidentified people was floating down the river and missed the chance to exit before the waterfall.
'If you go through those falls, the chances of you surviving are extremely minimal,' Carr said.
It is not immediately clear what device the group was using to float, but tubing and rafting is popular along the Deschutes River.
Carr explained that warning signs are posted along the river to alert people to the approaching falls.
'It appears at this point they obviously did not see or recognize or know that there were falls around the corner,' he said.
The three survivors were scraped and bruised but able to walk on their own after they were rescued, Carr said.
Search and rescue teams are set to continue their efforts on Monday following an extensive search on Sunday.
Two drones were deployed early Sunday morning by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue to search the Dillon Falls area in coordination with swiftwater rescue team members.
Three K9 teams also assisted, working alongside marine patrol boats to search the area downstream of Dillon Falls, according to the sheriff's office.
Fifteen swiftwater rescue team members were deployed to physically search high-interest areas identified by drone imagery and visual reconnaissance.
The sheriff's office has not released information on the victims' identities, but said their recovery efforts will continue on Monday.
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