Bodies of 3 swimmers who went missing in Red Wing recovered
RED WING, Minn. – Three relatives who went missing in the waters of the Vermillion and Mississippi rivers on Monday have been found dead.
Authorities with the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office said they learned a family gathered on Diamond Island, and three in that group swimming in the river started to struggle.
A man in the group who was fishing jumped in to save them. He pulled his adult daughter from the river, then went back in to save two other relatives, a man and a 17-year-old girl. The three never resurfaced. All are from Oakdale.
Two bodies were recovered around 6:50 a.m. on Wednesday, and the other was found at 7:05 a.m. They were all found in the search area.
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The Goodhue County Sheriff's Office said first responders were called to the mouth of the Vermillion, where it enters the Mississippi, at about 7:35 p.m. Monday.
The county's water patrol, with the help of several other agencies, rushed to the scene, but they soon had to call off the search effort due to rain and the threat of severe weather.
Crews continued the search Tuesday morning, with divers and boats using sonar and other electronic tools. Major Mike Johnson with the sheriff's office told reporters Tuesday that the three missing people were all "inexperienced swimmers" who weren't wearing life jackets. They were swimming in an area that was 3 feet deep, he said, but there is a sharp drop off to right to 9 feet deep.
Johnson described the search as challenging, in part because all the different bodies of water meeting near the search spot create challenging underwater currents. Six responding agencies are assisting with the search efforts, including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and a nearby sheriff's office in Wisconsin.
"They're searching a large area, there's extreme heat. There's been inclement weather that have just made the search very difficult," Johnson said. "However all of the parties out there working - law enforcement and volunteers - keep working through and doing the best they can."
The names of the relatives will be released by the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office.
If someone is drowning, the Red Cross says "Reach or throw, don't go." Use your hand or an item to reach the victim, or throw them a life jacket or floatable object. Going into the water yourself puts you in danger.
NOTE: The sheriff's office previously said an angler went overboard while on the Mississippi River and two people jumped in after them. While details are developing, this story is updated with the latest information.