Two Children Drown After Being Swept Away In The Arkansas River

Sunday, June 24th 2007, 4:43 pm

By: News On 6

A Green Country family is dealing with weekend tragedy, after two young boys drown in the Arkansas River. It happened at Swift Park, just below Keystone Dam. Rescue crews swarmed Swift Park, fighting the fast-moving water. The News On 6â€™s Joshua Brakhage reports they were on a race against time to save two boys caught in the current, but hopes faded with the daylight.

"We were hoping for the best, but now we're having to face the reality that this is going to have a bad outcome," said Tulsa County Undersheriff Brian Edwards.

Parents were able to rescue 6-year-old Kiara Chinchay, but 5-year-old Maxx Brassfield and 8-year-old Eduardo Chinchay were swept away in the river. The raging waters were fueled by the release of water from Keystone Dam. Engineers shut down the dam, but it was already too late.

"You're looking at 10 to 12 feet of water out here, and when it's moving at the speed that it's moving, if you should be into that water, you're going to be downstream so fast you won't realize what happened to you," said Ross Adkins of U.S.

You only have to look as far back as May when a high school senior, just days away from graduating was swept under in the spillway at Oologah Lake.

The dam is open again, with water pouring through at full force. They're letting out enough water to fill six Olympic-sized swimming pools every second. That recreates the same dangers that cost Maxx Brassfield and Eduardo Chinchay their lives.

"That's a lot of water, and it's moving very swiftly," Adkins said.

Neither the kids killed at Keystone nor Oologah were wearing lifejackets, an investment water-safety experts say is worth every penny.

"Come out to the lakes, enjoy the recreation that's afforded by the lakes, but at the same time we want them to go home from that holiday or that weekend at the lake," Adkins said.

Watch the video: Swift Rapids Claim The Lives Of Two Young Boys