Tulea County officials said one person drowned and four others were rescued after being thrown from a raft into the swollen and fast-flowing Kern River this week.

Tulea County Sheriff Mike Boudreau said rivers and streams in the county are particularly dangerous right now because of the amount of water flowing downstream from this winter’s heavy rains.

Around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, lawmakers responded to an emergency call in the Ant Canyon area near Kerneville. officials said in a news release. Five lost their gear in the water and fell off the raft.

Officials said members of the Tulare County and Kern County Sheriff’s Department Swiftwater Rescue Teams worked together to pull four people out of the river and try to recover a fifth body. The identity of the drowning man was not immediately known.

Sheriff Lieutenant Kevin Kemerling said the body was found but remained in the river as of Thursday afternoon. The raft was partially submerged in the rapids and was not easily accessible to the rescue team.

“It’s a very dangerous environment,” said Kemerling.

The crew was trying to determine if the bodies could be recovered, but they also asked the California Air National Guard for help, Mr. Kemmerling said.

Rafters are considered experts, and the area where they enter the water is considered a Class 4 rapid, and experienced rafters are usually navigable, Kemmerling said.

However, heavy winter rains and the large amount of snow that is currently melting have made the water colder and faster than usual, requiring the public to avoid waterways in the area, officials said.

This story was originally los angeles times.