Search for lacking swimmer in Potomac River to proceed Thursday

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – For the third time this summer time, a search operation is underway downstream of Great Falls after one other swimmer disappeared within the Potomac River.

What we all know:

The newest incident occurred on Tuesday south of Sandy Landing, the place a 25-year-old man went lacking after stepping into the water. A good friend who was with him managed to swim again to the Virginia shoreline safely and declined medical therapy, based on rescued officers.

Swift water rescue crews from Montgomery and Fairfax counties returned to the river Wednesday to seek for the lacking man earlier than pausing operations for the night. 

Emergency crews used swift‑water boats, sonar, underwater drones and K9 groups in the course of the search. 

The restoration mission is predicted to renew Thursday.

The sufferer’s disappearance marks the third tragedy in the very same stretch of the Potomac River in latest weeks. On July 2, a 16-year-old boy from Bethesda drowned within the space. Just weeks earlier, in mid-June, 20-year-old Towson University scholar Nazir Bell died in the identical part of the river.

Parents name for preventative motion

What they’re saying:

Nazir Bell’s mother and father, Jamaal and Shante Smith, are talking out and pleading with native authorities in Fairfax and Montgomery counties to step up enforcement and schooling.

“It just breaks my heart. I know how the family feels. It’s a trigger that reopens the wound of what we dealt with six weeks ago,” Shante Smith mentioned. “These kids are thinking that they’re gonna have fun, that’s it. They don’t think about the dangers. They’re just thinking about exploring… how do we prevent another life from going under?”

Her husband echoed the decision for stronger measures, mentioning that present efforts focus too closely on response slightly than prevention.

“They spend more time patrolling the water trying to find somebody than patrolling the water to keep people out of it,” Jamaal Smith mentioned. “You’re spending a lot more resources and time and energy looking for people. We’re asking to do more. Just please, please, whether it’s boats on the water protecting it. Something has to be done.”

River laws

Authorities mentioned that efforts are underway to warn the general public in regards to the river’s hidden hazards, however enforcement throughout huge, protected parklands is a problem.

National Park Service has elevated the density of warning indicators alongside trails operating adjoining to the river.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Deploys boats for a number of hours on Saturdays in the course of the summer time, in addition to throughout coaching periods, to strategy individuals close to the shoreline and educate them on river hazards.

Officials are additionally contemplating increasing their outreach straight into native colleges to emphasise water security earlier than college students head to the parks.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Dan Ogren emphasised that rescue personnel share the group’s frustration and heartbreak over these recurring incidents.

“We’re equally as frustrated. We don’t wanna see anyone hurt,” Ogren mentioned. “The C&O Canal, the Potomac River, it’s a beautiful area. It’s a great place to go out and recreate with your family. You just have to do it safely.”

Ogren reminded the general public that whereas non-motorized boating actions like kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding are permitted, getting within the water to swim within the decrease Potomac River is strictly prohibited by regulation.

“The one big, big no is you don’t go swimming in the lower part of the Potomac River. It is deadly,” Ogren warned. “That area of the river is off limits.”

NewsMontgomery County