River victim identified

A Kalispell man who drowned on the North Fork Flathead River on Saturday has been identified as Raymond Abbott.

Abbott, 80, was on a one-person pontoon boat when it capsized about a half mile upstream from the Glacier Rim river access.

Abbott was wearing an inflatable flotation device that was not inflated when he was pulled from river, according to a press release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office states. Abbott was found floating face down in the river by people near the river access.

They attempted CPR but were unsuccessful.

Abbott had a companion who was floating in a similar pontoon boat that also capsized, but the companion was able to get to shore and get out of the water.

An autopsy confirmed the cause of Abbott’s death was drowning, the press release states.