
A Long Island sixth grader tragically died while rafting during a school trip in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, officials said.
Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a 12-year-old student from the Sag Harbor Union Free School District, was one of five people in a raft on the Lehigh River when it capsized around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, throwing everyone overboard, according to the district.
While the others were able to reach safety, Guncay did not immediately resurface.
Officials from the Carbon County Coroner’s Office were called to the D&L Trail along the Lehigh River around 6 p.m. By the time they arrived, the Lehighton Fire Department Dive Team had already recovered Guncay’s body from the water.
He was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
School officials expressed profound grief over the tragedy.
“There are no words to adequately express the depth of this loss,” Sag Harbor Superintendent Jeff Nichols said in a statement.
“Cesar was a cherished member of our school family, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him,” the statement continued.
“His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways and our lives.”
Guncay was one of 74 students participating in the school trip.
School counseling staff will be available to support students, Nichols said. He also encouraged community members to reach out to the Response Crisis Center and the Long Island Crisis Center if they need assistance.
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