Search and rescue agencies on Sunday afternoon recovered the body of an Idaho man who fell out of his kayak on the Yaak River, according to a press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Steven Koning, 50, was located by David Thompson Search and Rescue officials several miles downstream in the Kootenai River, near the Idaho-Montana border, at approximately 3:33 p.m. on May 8.
The emergency response began at approximately 12:19 p.m., when a 38-year-old member of Koning’s group relayed an SOS message from his GPS device while on the Yaak River area west of Troy. The message was received by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center, according to the Monday news release.
Updated information from the GPS device relayed information that a group of four boaters were on a kayaking trip. The member of the group that contacted 911 reported that Koning fell out of his kayak after encountering a rough stretch of river about three to four miles north of the Kootenai River. The group attempted to get Koning to safety, but he slipped underwater and they lost sight of him.
The other three men in the boating party were unharmed.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, David Thompson Search and Rescue, Troy Volunteer Ambulance and Two Bear Air Rescue assisted in the search.
This story has been updated with corrected information from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. The victim was a resident of Idaho.