Las Vegas Boy Scout dies in Utah scuba diving accident

By Aida Ahmed

Published Wednesday, July 13, 2011 | 4:39 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, July 13, 2011 | 7:13 p.m.

A 12-year-old Las Vegas Boy Scout drowned Wednesday in Utah as a result of complications while scuba diving.

The drowning occurred at the Bear Lake Aquatics Base in northern Utah near the Idaho state line.

"Today is an extremely difficult day for our entire scouting family," Ryan Moon, field services director for the Las Vegas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement.

Bear Lake State Park Manager Richard Droesbeke said the boy was with two other Scouts and a diving instructor when the accident happened. The boy’s father was also at the camp but was not on the diving excursion, he said.

Vic Rowberry of the Boy Scouts' Great Salt Lake Council said the Las Vegas boy was in about 15 feet of water when he disappeared on Wednesday. He was found after a 30-minute search.

Troop leaders performed CPR on the boy until paramedics arrived. The boy was later pronounced dead at a Logan, Utah, hospital. Rowberry said scouts get a training class and must be experienced swimmers before being allowed to dive.

The boy’s name wasn't released. Moon said the organization is working to provide support for the boy's family.

"We are also working with the Great Salt Lake Council to assist the campers and camp staff who were present at the time of the accident with their needs," Moon said in the statement.

Moon said the boy was on a Boy Scout summer camp outing at the time of the accident. Those trips usually last a week, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.