A boating accident on the White River has claimed the life of 47-year-old John W. Webb of Mountain View.Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says his office was notified about 1:00 Friday afternoon of a boat capsizing on the White River near Buffalo City in the vicinity of Smith Island with at least one person still in the water.Sheriffs deputies and fire department first responders were dispatched and boats launched by both rescue services and private individuals in a rescue effort. The Sheriffs Office helicopter was also launched.
One of the two occupants of the boat, 74-year-old David Hopper of Mountain View, managed to reach the shoreline and survived. He was found near Smith Island by another boater and taken to the White-Buffalo Resort where emergency services were called.
The second occupant, Webb, was last seen trying to swim to the Marion County side of the river.
At approximately 1:48, the body of the deceased Mountain View man was spotted underneath the rolling water and moving downstream. At approximately 2:39, personnel from the Norfork Fire Department rescue boat were able to reach the body and pull it from the water approximately one and a quarter miles downstream from Smith Island. The body of the deceased was carried to the shore near Cartney Landing.
Four generators were in operation at the Bull Shoals Dam at the time.
Agencies involved in the rescue and recovery efforts included the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and the Norfork and Buford Volunteer Fire Departments. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be investigating the boating accident.
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