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Authorities believe the victim died by drowning
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- A man’s body was found hours after he got caught in Oregon’s Columbia River on Monday, July 20
- The victim had been fishing with his two teen nephews and attempted to assist one of the boys when they became distressed
- Officials believe that he died by drowning, but the official cause of death is still pending
A man in his 30s died while trying to help his nephew who was struggling in deep water while fishing near an Oregon river.
The devastating incident occurred during a family fishing trip involving an uncle and his two teen nephews along the Columbia River near Fairview on Monday, July 20, Deputy John Plock of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE.
That afternoon, one of the boys realized that his line was hooked on a log or another obstacle and attempted to free the line.
“As he went out, he got into deep water and started struggling,” says the public information officer. “So his uncle went out to help him. The young man was able to get himself back into shallow water, and unfortunately his uncle was not.”
At approximately 3:10 p.m. local time, officials received a 911 call reporting that a man was in the water at Chinook Landing Marine Park and hadn’t resurfaced. Ten minutes later, the Gresham Fire Department arrived at the scene and launched a boat into the water. Other agencies also responded and soon rescue teams on jet skis and a drone were deployed.
“Unfortunately, they were unable to locate the man,” says Plock of initial search efforts. While both teens were safe, the rescue teams couldn’t find their uncle for hours. Finally, just after 6:00 p.m., the victim’s body was recovered from the water after the sheriff’s office had activated dive teams.
The man’s name has yet to be publicly released, and the local medical examiner will determine the official cause of death. As of right now, authorities “are considering it a drowning,” Plock says.
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The tragedy comes just over a week after a 26-year-old man from Portland drowned in the Columbia River at Rooster Rock State Park in Multnomah County, Fox affiliate KPTV reported.
Following the most recent drowning, officials urged people to wear life jackets when they’re near bodies of water, according to the outlet.
Read the original article on People
