12‑year‑old boy drowns in Pennsylvania rafting accident

A 12-year-old boy from New York died in a rafting accident on Wednesday during a school field trip in Pennsylvania. Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a sixth-grade student from the Sag Harbor Union Free School District on Long Island, was pronounced dead after the inflatable raft he was in capsized on the Lehigh River in East Penn Township, Carbon County.

The accident occurred around 5 p.m. as part of a guided excursion involving a larger group. Authorities said a raft carrying five occupants overturned, ejecting everyone into the water. While the other four boaters were recovered safely, Guncay did not resurface. A search and rescue operation ensued, involving multiple local fire departments and emergency services. He was later pulled from the river and pronounced dead at the scene at 6:50 p.m.

The Carbon County Coroner’s Office stated the cause of death was accidental drowning. The incident occurred near the DL Trail at mile marker 99 on the river. Drone footage from the scene showed an overturned raft pinned against a fallen tree.

In a letter to the school community, Superintendent Jeff Nichols confirmed the student’s identity and expressed profound grief. "There are no words to...