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Man dies after falling out of raft in the Upper Kern River Saturday

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UPDATE (May 30, 2017 2:32 p.m.): The man who died at the hospital after falling out of a boat in Cables Rapid north of Kern County has been identified as 44-year-old Shane Joseph Ornelas.

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The Tulare County Sheriff's Department Swiftwater Dive Rescue Team responded to a call for help from a commercial rafting company Saturday that had subjects fall from the boat while navigating Cables Rapid up river from Camp 3 on the Kern River. 

That is just north of the Kern County line. 

One person was recovered and became unresponsive. CPR was started and the 40 year old man was later taken to Kern Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

The coroner will release the victims identity and cause of death at a later time. 

In a press release, the Tulare County Sheriff's Department Swiftwater Dive Rescue Team reminded those out near the river to be careful this weekend. 

"Though these factors did not contribute to today’s incidents, The Tulare County Sheriff's Department wishes to remind recreationists to use safety devices such as Personal Flotation Devices and keep children under adult supervision, and don't enter the water when consuming alcoholic beverages."

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