A body has been found during a search for a young man who went missing while attempting to swim across the fast-flowing Potomac River over Memorial Day weekend.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue officials said in a statement on social media that two young people entered the water near Great Falls, Virginia, on Saturday and attempted to swim to the Maryland side.
Officials said one swimmer was able to get across the river, but the other was still missing.
Authorities conducted an “exhaustive search by land, water and air” into Saturday evening and again on Sunday, authorities said.
Kayakers reported finding a body in the water on Monday, Piringer said, and workers using sonar also found evidence of a body among the rocks.
A whitewater rescue boat was dispatched to the area near Old Anglers boat launch on Monday and retrieved what is believed to be the body of a missing swimmer, Pillinger said.
A death investigation is ongoing. No information was immediately released about the identity of the missing swimmer.
Fatal accidents on the Potomac are not uncommon during warmer months: In September, a woman with a group of visiting college students drowned while kayaking on the Potomac, authorities said.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), swimming in the Potomac River is prohibited due to the extreme dangers.
“Though the river may appear calm on the surface, unseen underwater currents (and whirlpools) may move downward and pull people and pets to the bottom. The water may trap them 15 to 30 feet down or under a submerged rock ledge,” the National Park Service says.
