A 12-year-old boy from Long Island died during a school rafting trip in Pennsylvania after his raft overturned in the Lehigh River, officials said.
The child was identified by the Sag Harbor Union Free School District as Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a sixth-grade student at Pierson Middle School.
The tragedy happened Wednesday, May 27, during the district’s annual sixth-grade trip to the Pocono Mountains.
According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Cesar was one of five people in an inflatable raft on the Lehigh River in East Penn Township, Carbon County, when the raft capsized around 5:30 p.m.
All five people were thrown into the water. Authorities said the other four were safely recovered, but Cesar did not immediately resurface.
Search-and-rescue crews were called to the river, and the Lehighton Fire Department Dive Team later recovered Cesar’s body.
The Carbon County Coroner’s Office said officials were called to the D&L Trail along the Lehigh River around 6 p.m. Cesar was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m.
Officials said the accident happened near mile marker 99 along the Lehigh River.
The rafting trip was part of a larger guided excursion, and Cesar was among 74 students on the school trip, according to local reports.
Authorities said life jackets were reportedly being worn at the time, but officials are still reviewing safety equipment and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
An autopsy was scheduled to determine Cesar’s official cause and manner of death. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is leading the investigation.
Sag Harbor Superintendent Jeff Nichols shared the devastating news in a letter to the school community.
“There are no words to adequately express the depth of this loss,” Nichols wrote, according to local reports. “Cesar was a cherished member of our school family, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
“His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways and our lives,” he continued.
Nichols also offered condolences to Cesar’s loved ones.
“Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Cesar’s family and friends during this very sad time,” he wrote. “We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.”
School counselors were made available to students and staff as the Sag Harbor community mourns the loss.
One Pierson student told News 12 that the tragedy hit especially hard because Sag Harbor is such a close community.
“We’re like a really close community, so yeah, it is really sad,” the student said.
H was called home to be with the Lord.