Ben Orton, a British man devoted to extreme kayaking is feared dead after vanishing in a Swiss river. According to the Daily Mail Online, he got trapped bu the currents beneath the rushing waters.
The 29 year-old outdoorsman found himself in trouble in the Ticino region of Switzerland as he kayaked the rapids of the Melezza River. Specialist search teams and local police have been on the hunt for Orton since he disappeared on May 16th.
Ben Orton, a professional gravedigger before his career change to extreme sports, had long been an inspiration to kayakers all over the world. On Instagram, he’s followed by over 57,000 people. Less than 48 hours before he vanished, he filmed himself shooting the rapids on a river in Italy. On his popular YouTube channel, he recently shared a video of his adventurous ride over the Devil’s Slide waterfall located in Val Sesia. In 2018, he broke a world record when he rode a 128 foot high Mexican waterfall—known as Big Banana Falls—in his kayak. The stunning video opens with Orton and his friend exchanging high-fives, before lingering on the final moments at the top of the waterfall before the drop, falling through the air surrounded by torrents of water, before he plunged into the pool at its base.
The whitewater of the Melezza river appears to have dragged the celebrated Orton under in a vortex of recirculating waves. He was, according to authorities, sucked out of his kayak.
A spokesman for Pyranha, the British manufacturer of the high-performance kayaks favored by Orton, announced the accident. Friends and authorities, the statement said, continue to search tirelessly for the kayaker. Their efforts, which are currently unsuccessful, began immediately after the incident. In addition to Ticino canton police, officers and rescuers from Ascona, Lorcarnese, and the Valli Ambulence Service have joined the search and rescue efforts.
Lacking a body, police have yet to confirm Orton’s death.
