Onlookers see swimmer vanish in Columbia River, Washington officials say

A man in his 20s whose friends say he wasn’t a strong swimmer went underwater and never came back up in the Columbia River, Washington officials said.

First responders were unable to find the man as of 10 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the Vancouver Fire Department.

The fire department told McClatchy News in an email that the Clark County Sheriff’s Office was expected to resume the search at 9 a.m. Monday. The sheriff’s office did not immediately return a request for updated information from McClatchy News.

At about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, witnesses said they saw the man go under about 15 feet from shore but never resurface in Vancouver at Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park, according to the fire department.

The man was not a strong swimmer and did not wear a life vest, his friends told first responders.

Crews with the fire department arrived 11 minutes after witnesses called 911 as a large group of civilians unsuccessfully searched for the man, officials said.

The fire department conducted an hourlong rescue mission using radar, boats and swimmers, before shifting to recovery operations. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office took over search efforts and initiated diving operations.

The fire department recommends swimmers wear life jackets in the river, as the current can be “deceivingly strong.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 11:14 AM.