Matthew Ray, has been named as the young man killed while running the rapids at Green River Narrows, North Carolina, on Saturday afternoon.

Ray, 20, of Asheville, drowned while kayaking with a group of friends, officials said.

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The Green River, which runs in North Carolina, near its border with South Carolina, is a dam-release river that flows through the mountains of south of Asheville.

Police said that drugs and alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the tragic kayaking accident.