Authorities in Northwest Arkansas said a man died while canoeing near a dam this weekend when he passed over a spillway and went underwater, officials said Monday.
The Benton County sheriff’s office said it responded Saturday afternoon near a dam in War Eagle after water from the spillway threw the man out of his canoe. Authorities identified him as 33-year-old Ross Tharp of Springdale.
Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sgt. Shannon Jenkins said someone tried to resuscitate him before emergency crews arrived.
Tharp died at the scene, she said.
Jenkins urged people who canoe in the area to avoid areas around the dam.