Hiker drowns in river at Tallulah Gorge

Photo byNowHabersham.com

A 19-year-old man is dead after he drowned while hiking in Tallulah Gorge Friday, according to a release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Exauce T. Kabeya of Gainesville fell into the river above Oceana Falls and did not resurface, the release said. A search party, including drone and rescue teams, was dispatched around 12:40 p.m. on May 3 to locate Kabeya. They found him dead a few hours later and recovered his body from the water.

Multiple state and local agencies, including DNR, Georgia State Patrol Aviation, and GEMA/Homeland Security, assisted in the search. Rescuers and first responders from Lee Arrendale State Prison, Rabun, Habersham, and Tallulah Falls, along with the dive team from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, also responded.

The Tallulah River runs through Tallulah Gorge—a two-mile-long, nearly 1,000-foot-deep canyon located in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. The gorge, with its hiking trails and scenic vistas, is a popular tourist destination in Northeast Georgia.