Tacoma woman drowns while tubing on Wenatchee River in Leavenworth
A 46-year-old Tacoma woman drowned Tuesday afternoon while tubing on the Wenatchee River in Leavenworth, according to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s deputies were called to Barn Beach at about 4:48 p.m. Emergency management specialist Rich Magnussen said when deputies arrived, a bystander had already pulled the woman to shore. CPR was immediately started, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Magnussen said it was unclear how the woman fell into the river. He said she wasn’t wearing a life jacket, and while she tried to swim to shore, she went under the water.
The Sheriff’s Office, Chelan County Fire District No. 3 and Cascade ambulance responded to the incident.
The drowning was the fourth in Chelan County so far this year, but Magnussen said this was the first to occur in this part of the Wenatchee River in 2022. Still, he said it was a common area for water rescues. Magnussen encouraged people using the water for recreation to wear a life jacket.
“Rivers are running high, and they’re cold still,” Magnussen said. “I just encourage people to wear a [personal flotation device].”
