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PAGE, Arizona — Friends have identified the two 4-year-old boys who died Friday along with a woman after the pontoon they were being towed in at Lake Powell overturned, trapping them.
About 3:18 p.m., dispatchers learned of an overturned boat on Lake Powell near the mouth of Navajo Canyon.
"The 25-foot privately owned pontoon vessel was being towed by another boater, when waves contributed to the towed vessel capsizing. Several of the eleven passengers became trapped under the overturned vessel," the National Park Service said in a news release.
Rangers responded and found a person on top of the pontoon boat and others in the water, "with some of the party unaccounted for" as nearby boaters helped get the victims out of the water. First responders provided medical attention at the scene, but Gabriel Hart, 4; Zeniff Cox, 4; and Missy Hayhurst Cox Bean, 72, died during the incident. Two other people were taken to a hospital.
"In this devastating incident, the Cox family lost three beloved family members: their cherished grandmother, Missy Hayhurst Cox Bean, and two precious four-year-olds, Gabriel Hart and Zeniff Cox. Our hearts ache as we grapple with this sudden and heartbreaking loss," a GoFundMe* set up to support the families states.
The campaign says another child, Audrey Cox, 7, was flown to a hospital and remained in medically induced coma in an intensive care unit on Sunday.
"The road ahead is uncertain and filled with many challenges for all families involved, both emotional and financial," the fundraiser states.
Another victim, Missy Bean's husband Roland "Rock" Bean, is also currently hospitalized and receiving treatment for the injuries he sustained during the accident, according to the GoFundMe.
The accident remains under investigation by the National Park Service and local authorities.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
