THE FORKS (AP) – A Massachusetts man died when his raft overturned on a whitewater rafting trip on the Dead River, officials said.

The victim of the state’s first fatal accident involving a commercial whitewater rafting company this year was Ralph J. Jolin, 27, of Southbridge, Mass., said Mark Latti, spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The 16-foot raft operated by North Country Rivers was heading down the “mile-long rapid” when it flipped Saturday afternoon, dumping all nine of the raft’s occupants into the river known for its swift currents, Latti said.

Everyone surfaced except for Jolin. Jolin was caught in the whirlpool effect of the rapid and was underwater for three to seven minutes, Latti said. Guides retrieved him from the water and performed CPR until they were met by an ambulance at The Forks, he said.

An autopsy performed by the state medical examiner’s office on Sunday confirmed that Jolin drowned, Latti said.