FORKS — Two people died and a third person was missing after a boating accident on the Bogachiel River, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
Search efforts for a man missing after a boat overturned Thursday grew more dangerous with the weather Friday, Sheriff Brian King said.
“The search is going, but the weather is turning with heavy precipitation and wind,” King said Friday afternoon. “That’s making search efforts more challenging with the rising river and the color. The visibility hasn’t been great.”
About 20 first responders plus friends, family and volunteers were searching for Alfonso Graham, 39, of Port Orchard, who went missing after the boat overturned about 12:07 p.m. Thursday on the Bogachiel River near Forks.
Two others, Christian Akers, 35, of Sequim, and his 7-year-old son, Wyatt Akers, were pulled from the water Thursday.
Despite lifesaving efforts, both died at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A 33-year-old Port Orchard man survived and called 911 while stabilizing himself on a tree.
The search for Graham’s body started Friday morning around the Goodman Mainline Bridge on the river, King said. That’s where the U.S. Coast Guard caught a glimpse of a body Thursday night.
“We’ve since moved on to a stretch of the river that’s near the Wilson Road boat ramp and the Leyendecker County Park,” King said.
With the weather predicted to become even worse — up to 2 inches of rainfall is expected over the next 24 to 48 hours, King said, the Sheriff’s Office is not recommending anyone be out on the river to help with the search.
The boat was recovered about noon Friday, he said.
People involved in the search for Graham’s body also are looking for the Akers’ dog, which was on the boat and had not been found as of Friday afternoon.
Although the Sheriff’s Office recovered some life jackets in the boat, those involved were not wearing life jackets, King said.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, responding agencies Thursday included Clallam County Fire Districts 1 and 6, Forks Ambulance, La Push Police Department, La Push Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service.
