Palo Alto man drowns after rescuing son in Utah's Lake Powell

Palo Alto man drowned after saving child at Lake Powell

A man from Palo Alto drowned after rescuing a child at Lake Powell.

LAKE POWELL, Utah - A man who drowned in Lake Powell in Utah on Thursday while rescuing his children from the water has been identified by the National Park Service as 49-year-old Palo Alto resident Phil Chiang.

A possible drowning was called in at 1:13 p.m. in the Warm Creek Bay area of the lake within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Witnesses said a family of four had rented a boat and toured the lake on Thursday and the two children went swimming without life jackets when one began to struggle. Chiang, the father, jumped off the boat to rescue them and also did not have a life jacket on, according to the park service.

After getting the children onto the boat, Chiang went underwater and the family flagged down other boats in the area and called for help. He was found after being underwater for at least 10 minutes and could not be revived, park service officials said.

The drowning is being investigated jointly by the National Park Service, Utah State Medical Examiner's Office and Kane County Sheriff's Office.