Man Presumed Drowned in Skagit River Near Birdsview

 

Birdsview, WA:   On Saturday, August 1st, around 3:45 pm,   the Birdsview Fire Department along with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office,  responded to reports of a Water Rescue for a person missing in the Skagit River near Cape Horn Drive.

 

 

According to a first responder on scene,  a group of several adults  were out enjoying the sunshine and passing a football back and forth in some shallow water on the Skagit River. The football was accidentally thrown  out to a deeper part of the river.

 

 

One of the adults in the group went out to get the football  and that person began to struggle in the water. Several people in the group went out to assist that  person and also ended up struggling in the water,  due to the strong current in the area.   The group managed to get the original man that was struggling in the water  back to shore and realized that one of the men who went out to help rescue  him was missing.

Several local search and rescue unit organizations, who have asked that we do not name them,  responded to the area as well as a helicopter from NAS Whidbey, to assist in the search. Units  were unsuccessful in their search.

 

 

The search crews  continued to look for the man throughout the weekend without success and crews  planned on continuing the search into Monday and possibly further into the week.

 

 

 

The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office said crews were  looking for a 44 year old man. He is presumed drowned and his name has not been released.