A Japanese woman drowned Saturday afternoon in the Wailua River on Kaua'i, police spokeswoman Mary Daubert said.

The woman, 33, was part of a tour group that kayaked down the Wailua River and then hiked up to what is locally known as Secret Falls.

At about 12:36 p.m., when the group headed back to the kayaks, the woman entered the water, turned onto her back and was swept down the river despite efforts by a member of the group who tried to save her.

At around 2:30 p.m., a paddler spotted her body in hau bushes along the riverbank. Rescue crews retrieved the body approximately 75 yards downstream from Kamokila Village.

The woman was dead at the scene.

The rescue personnel were members of the Kauai Fire Department and state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Firefighters and KFD rescue specialists then assisted the kayak tour group and brought them to safety, Daubert said.