Another person drowns at Sequoia National Park, following teen’s death earlier this summer

A 27-year-old Southern California man drowned while visiting Sequoia National Park over the weekend, marking another deadly incident in the park’s notoriously dangerous waterways.

Luis Alberto Gomez, of Huntington Park, died Saturday after a possible drowning was reported near Hospital Rock along the Kaweah River, according to the National Park Service and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, per SFGATE.

National Park Service employees were alerted to the incident Saturday, spokesperson Holly Streit told the outlet.

Park rangers and other first responders rushed to the area and administered emergency medical treatment. It was not immediately clear whether Gomez died at the scene or was transported to a hospital.

The tragedy comes just weeks after another drowning in the Kaweah River claimed the life of a teenage girl.

Andrea Diaz Mondragon, 17, of Santa Maria, was visiting Sequoia National Park with her older brother and friends in June when she slipped into the river and was swept away by its powerful current.

Her brother and one of her friends immediately jumped into action, attempting to rescue her. Bystanders managed to rescue one of the would-be rescuers by fashioning a makeshift rope from clothing. The other person was able to stay afloat and make it back to shore.

The National Park Service says drowning is the leading cause of death for visitors to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, where rivers can be deceptively treacherous.

Slippery rocks, swift currents and frigid water can turn a seemingly harmless encounter with the river into a fight for survival.

“Cold water can quickly weaken your strength, and strong currents can make it nearly impossible to get back out,” the Park Service warns. “Hypothermia can set in quickly even if it is warm outside.”

And despite the summer heat, California’s mountain rivers can remain dangerously cold well into the season.

The Park Service advises visitors to avoid swimming in areas with strong currents or steep drop-offs and warns that many river-related deaths happen when people never intended to swim in the first place, they simply fall into the water.

The recent deaths are part of a broader run of water-related fatalities reported across Northern and Central California this year, including incidents around Kings Canyon, the American River and Lake Tahoe.

Officials and search-and-rescue crews continue to urge visitors to treat moving water with caution.

That means wearing a life jacket even for a quick dip, keeping children within arm’s reach around the river and avoiding alcohol near moving water.

And don’t let a calm-looking surface fool you. A river that appears peaceful on top can still pack a powerful current underneath.