Officials release name of kayaker killed in Linville Gorge accident

MARION, N.C. — Authorities have identified a kayaker who died after an accident on the Linville River in a Western North Carolina as a 34-year-old Atlanta man.

[Kayaker dies after drowning in Linville River in Burke County]

Forestry officials tell local media that Burton Greer IV was an avid whitewater paddler.

Greer died Saturday night in Linville Gorge. U.S. Forest Service officer Wade Keener says Greer was kayaking with a friend when his kayak got stuck between rocks and overturned.

Officials have said the river was unusually swollen after recent rains.

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Associated Press