State Police say a Westfield man drowned while kayaking in the neighboring town of Granville Tuesday afternoon. It took hours for rescue workers to recover his body.

Just after 2:00 one of a group of three kayakers got into trouble and somehow came out of their kayak. One of them was pinned between rocks and debris further down the Hubbard Brook.

Granville Fire Chief James Meadows says, "It sounds like it's prime for kayaking but it's also dangerous. We don't really know what happened. All we know is that there was an accident."

State Police say 47 year old James P. O'Brien apparently drowned.

His body remained in the river for several hours while crews worked into the night to recover the body.

The water was running very high,fast, and cold, making it difficult for crews to get into the water.

Meadows said "We have to bring the person across the river. The person is on the opposite side of the river from where they need to be.
It's rough terrain. There is no road, just a walking trail. They are trying to carry gear."

For other kayakers it's a grim reminder how powerful the water can be.

Meadows said "These people seem to be experienced but there is risk. The problem is they are out there. We are way out in the woods here and it takes a long time to get help here."

CBS 3 Springfield was on the scene throughout the recovery operation and will update the story on CBS 3 Springfield News at 4pm, 6pm and 11pm and here at cbs3springfield.com.