Jul. 20—LAKE CITY, Minn. — Area agencies are searching for a man in the Mississippi River after he went under the water and did not resurface on Saturday.
According to a news release from the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, a water emergency was reported around 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, near Long Point on the Mississippi River, just north of Lake City.
Witnesses said a 12-year-old girl went into the water to wade alongside a 56-year-old man, a close family friend.
“While walking along the sandbar, the girl was seen flailing her arms in distress,” the release said.
The girl and the 56-year-old man were not wearing life jackets, the sheriff’s office said.
A nearby boat responded and found the girl in water over her head. The girl was safely pulled from the river and was not injured, the release said.
Witnesses say the 56-year-old man went under the water and did not resurface.
Deputies from the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Lake City Fire Department, Lake City Ambulance, Minnesota State Patrol, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources responded to the scene and began to search for the man. Drones were also deployed as a part of the search effort.
As of Sunday afternoon, the man has not been found.
“The search remains ongoing and is being conducted using specialized water search and recovery coordination with partner agencies,” the release said.