Two drownings, a man from India and a man from Nepal, occurred Saturday in separate areas of Glacier National Park, authorities said.
A 26-year-old man from India was hiking past the gorge on Avalanche Lake Trail when he went into Avalanche Creek around 8:30 a.m., park officials said.
Friends and others saw him go into the creek, go underwater, and resurface briefly before being swept up by the current and into the gorge, officials said in an email.
Glacier National Park dispatch was alerted at 8:37 a.m. Park campground staff were on the scene almost immediately, followed by law enforcement rangers about 9 a.m., park officials said.
A helicopter searched the creek and more than 10 rangers scoured the area, but the person has not yet been found and is presumed dead, officials said about 2 p.m. Sunday.
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Rangers believe the body is caught underwater in the gorge. Due to poor visibility and hazardous conditions, ongoing search efforts will be scaled down and rangers are monitoring the area, authorities said.
Avalanche Creek is at high water level due to snow melt runoff and the gorge is extremely dangerous, making conditions impossible for rangers to enter the gorge, park officials said.
The man was living and working in California and on vacation with friends.
On Saturday evening, a 28-year-old man from Nepal was swimming with friends in Lake McDonald near Sprague Creek Campground. Friends told authorities he was an inexperienced swimmer and was about 30 yards out when he started to struggle, went underwater, and never resurfaced.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s dive team recovered his body at about 8:20 pm.
The Nepal native was living and working in Portland, Oregon, and on vacation with friends, authorities said.
Park officials have contacted the Nepal and India consulates for assistance in contacting next of kin. Their names have not been publicly released.
Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021.
