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       A kayaker was killed in the Potomac River in the Chain Bridge/Little Falls area on Sunday after becoming trapped beneath a rock, according to authorities.

       The woman was in a group of about two dozen people from a college outside the metropolitan area when the incident occurred in the Little Falls area, said Pete Piringer, the spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

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       The exact location of the incident was not clear. D.C. police said they were investigating what appeared to be a woman’s accidental drowning near Chain Bridge.

       The bridge is near the border between Montgomery County and the District, and the dam is about a half-mile upstream from the bridge.

       It was not immediately clear how the woman became lodged under the rock. The stretch of river about 10 miles below Great Falls is known for its rapids and treacherous currents, which include a strong undertow.

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       The area below the dam at Little Falls is known to be particularly hazardous. Water there circulates back over itself, creating what is known as a “hydraulic,” a phenomenon that can pin tree trunks in the middle of the river for days and weeks.

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       Over the years, numerous drownings have occurred on that stretch of the river.

       Passersby and others came to the woman’s aid, but she did not survive, Piringer said.

       Hannah Glasgow, a D.C. police spokeswoman, said more information about the woman could be available after her relatives were notified.

       The name of the college with which the group was associated was also not immediately available.

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