EAST PENN TOWNSHIP — A 12-year-old boy drowned Wednesday during a class rafting trip in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania. Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a sixth grader at Pierson Middle School in Sag Harbor, New York, died when the raft he was riding in capsized on the Lehigh River in East Penn Township.

The outing was part of an annual school field trip that included a guided rafting excursion. According to the Carbon County Coroner’s Office, officials responded after receiving a report of a drowning near the river’s 99-mile marker. All five people aboard the raft were ejected into the water when it overturned, and one person did not resurface.

The Lehighton Fire Department dive team recovered Cesar’s body and transported him to a nearby staging area. The coroner’s office described the death as an accidental drowning.

Mike Parker, a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission spokesperson, said that life jackets were in use at the time of the accident. “But even with a life jacket on, there’s still other factors. And unfortunately, that’s what we seem to be dealing with in this case.” He said that “any incident involving a recreational boating fatality would trigger a review of all safety equipment as part of the investigation.” Parker also noted that boating can be unpredictable and that “fatalities are not something they deal with often.”

Jeff Nichols, the superintendent of the Sag Harbor school district, said in a statement that “Cesar was a cherished member of our school family — a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him.” Nichols added, “His absence will leave an irreplaceable space in our classrooms, our hallways, and our lives.” He extended condolences to Cesar’s family and friends and said school counselors are available to provide support. There were 10 recreational boating fatalities in Pennsylvania last year, eight of which involved people who were not wearing a life jacket.