The body found in the Potomac River is believed to be that of a missing swimmer.
On Monday, May 27, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer explained in a video on X, formerly Twitter, that the search began on Friday, May 24, after “a report was received of several swimmers attempting to swim from Virginia to Maryland.”
“One of them became agitated and went under the water, and since then all traces of him have been lost, it is assumed that he drowned. The search has been going on for the last few days,” added Piringer.
Piringer shared on X that initially the authorities were dispatched to the scene around 8:45 p.m on Friday and conducted an “exhaustive search by land, water, [and] air.”
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Warning sign near the Potomac River.
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On Sunday, May 26, search teams used sonar and located what appeared to be a body “underwater stuck among some rocks near Sandy Landing, which is south of Great Falls,” Piringer said in his video.
“This morning, [search and rescue crews] they were going to go back down and deal with the situation, find the body, but a local kayaker came and reported that the body was in the water and that body has since been foundPiringer added.
Noting that an investigation into the death is ongoing, the spokesman added: “We believe the swimmer was presumed drowned and missing as of Friday.”
Officials did not identify the swimmer.
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According to the National Park Service, the Potomac River averages 27 feet deep and has an average flow of 10,000 cubic feet per second.
The agency says on its website that swimming or wading in the river is illegal, and violators can be fined $200, appear in federal court and be arrested.
On Friday, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue kicked off its annual Potomac River Safety Campaign. Captain Andrew Bell, of the MCFRS Water Rescue Team, also highlighted what makes the river dangerous in an interview shared on the organisation’s blog.
“The river flows fast and there are a lot of hazards that you can get stuck in, get your feet stuck in. And the trees, they create what we call a strainer effect where if you get swept up in them, you can very easily get caught and trapped by your body.” Even stepping into the river can lead to a dangerous situation,” he said.
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“Mud, silt and pollutants make it impossible to see more than a few inches below the surface of the water. The bottom of the river is too often underestimated,” added Bell.
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Source: HIS Education