Kayaker was trapped under log in raging Tennessee creek as rescuers tried to save him

The body of a 31-year-old kayaker was recovered late Sunday from the east Tennessee creek where he was last seen trapped in swift-moving water, according to the state Wildlife Resources Agency.

Officials identified the man as 31-year-old Andrew Gamble of Hamilton County, near the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

Gamble was one of three kayakers who were treading the rough waters of Richland Creek, which is “known for white water paddling after heavy rains,” state officials said in a Facebook post.

His kayak flipped in the water around 2 p.m., officials said, and Gamble became “trapped under a log.”

“Those with him attempted to help the trapped kayaker,” state officials said on Facebook. “They were able to recover the boat but not the kayaker.”

Gamble was wearing a life jacket when he died, officials said.

The recovery of his body was made tougher by “fast moving water and rough terrain,” officials said.

Richland Creek has been labeled a “hidden gem tucked into the side of Walden’s Ridge, with great rapid getting continually steeper the farther you hike upstream,” by the outdoors site RootsRated.com. The toughest of the rapids are “dangerous,” says the site.

Heavy rains heightened the creek’s dangers over the weekend, state officials said, mixing swift current with “deep water holes of eight to ten feet.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 7:46 AM with the headline "Kayaker was trapped under log in raging Tennessee creek as rescuers tried to save him."