State Police have released the identity of the Prattsburgh woman who drowned in the Chemung River over the weekend.
A canoe carrying two women was traveling down the Chemung River in the town of Big Flats late Saturday afternoon when it struck a downed tree causing it to capsize. One of the women, 21-year-old Rebecca Garber, of Prattsburgh, was able to free herself and got to shore but 22-year-old Susanna Garber became trapped underneath the canoe. After the canoe was dislodged from the tree by Swift Water Rescue Teams, Susanna Garber’s body was recovered.
State Police say both women were wearing life vests and were with a group of young adults traveling down the river in kayaks and canoes.
The Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, West Elmira Police Department, and fire departments from West Elmira, Golden Glow, and Big Flats also assisted at the scene.