On Sunday August 5, 2012 at approximately 5:30 PM a 911 call was received
regarding a swimmer in distress.
According to the male's companions, he swam from the Oregon side to a small
island near the base of The Dalles Bridge.
The Dalles Bridge spans the river from Oregon to Washington and is
commonly known as US Highway 197.
While swimming back to the Oregon side, the male was pulled downriver by a
strong current. He was last seen approximately 150 yards west of the bridge by
his companion.
The man had not been using any type of flotation device.
Emergency responders from Wasco County Sheriff's Office and the Oregon
State Police were on scene within minutes of the 911 call. A search and rescue
boat from the sheriff's office and a jet boat from the Oregon State Police were
deployed in an attempt to locate the missing person. An additional three boats
responded to the scene, one from the Sherman County Sheriff's Office. All
personnel spanned the area in an attempt to locate the swimmer but were
unsuccessful. Rescue efforts continued throughout the evening until it became
too dark to safely navigate.
Rescue efforts will continue tomorrow (Monday, Aug. 6) at sunrise. These efforts will be
comprised of search and rescue members/volunteers from the Wasco County
Sheriff's Office and a dive team from Skamania County Sheriff's
Office.
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