Rare river sinkhole created whirlpool, led to man's death

Hannah Grabenstein, Associated Press
Updated 5:15 pm, Monday, June 11, 2018


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A kayaker bypassed a part of an Arkansas scenic river known as Dead Man's Curve during a weekend trip, but a rare sinkhole created a whirlpool along his alternate channel and dragged him to his death.


Donald Wright, 64, from Searcy, Arkansas, died Saturday at Saddler Falls along the Spring River, said Keith Stephens, a spokesman for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. At least one other person was injured.

Sinkholes are common in the northern half of Arkansas, where subterranean limestone erodes away easily. Small whirlpools are common where bits of land extend into waterways, but having a sinkhole open a whirlpool in the middle of a stream is uncommon.

"I've been here for 40 years. This is the first one I've ever heard forming in a river like this," said Bill Prior, a geologist supervisor at the Arkansas Geological Survey.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Fatal-boating-accident-occurs-in-whirlpool-on-12984064.php