Monday, August 3, 2009

Email this article to a friend    Watch the video

Teen missing after falling into Deerfield River

CHARLEMONT, Mass. -- A teenager is missing after falling off an inner tube and into the Deerfield river in Charlemont.

Police say the girl, Springfield resident Shanara Henry, apparently flipped over on the inner tube in high water on Saturday.

The 18-year-old was last seen accompanied by nine other friends as the group floated down the swollen river's swift currents. Friends say Henry decided to go despite admitting she did not know how to swim.

"Ten people, and my sister is the only one that didn't come back," said Anneika Tracey.

Police in nearby Shelburne say they are launching a flat-bottom boat and hope to do an aerial search. Local whitewater rafting companies are also lending a hand, searching by kayak.

Those companies suspended rafting and kayak trips on the river several days ago because of unusually high water levels, the result of the heavy rains in the area in June and July.

(Copyright (c) 2009 Sunbeam Television and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)