Deadly Day On Oklahoma Lakes And Rivers

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports two separate drowning incidents in Oklahoma on Saturday.

The first occurred around 3:30 p.m. on the Red River just below the Denison Dam in Bryan County.

According to investigators, Kenneth B. Coward, 38, of Denison, Texas was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the man died saving a child in the river. According to the incident report, another man and two children were in the river having a tough time making to the shore. The and one child were able to make it safely to the shore, while the other child was still in the water. That's when Coward jumped into the water and grabbed the child. As Coward attempted to make it back to shore, he cross in a spot that was eight feet deep with a strong current. Coward was able to push the child across the current to safety but was too weak to get across himself. Coward went under the water and his body was found approximately 60 feet east of where he went under.

The second drowning occurred on Keystone Lake around 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Thomas Alvarez, 17, of Tulsa drowned just west of Old Keystone Ramp and 50 feet north of the south shoreline of Keystone Lake in Tulsa County.

Investigators said Alvarez was on a surfboard when he fell off of it into approximately nine feet of water and never resurfaced. Alvarez's body was recovered in the same location about an hour later.