Crews recover body of person from Loring Park pond
[KSTP]
UPDATE: The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Monday that crews recovered the body of a person in the Loring Park pond.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said its Water Patrol unit was dispatched to Loring Park pond at 8:26 p.m. on a report of a man struggling in the water. A crew from the Minneapolis Fire Department attempted to help the person with a tube raft and saw the victim go underwater at about 8:33 p.m.
A dive team was called to the pond at 9:18 p.m. and Ramsey County also responded to help.
According to the sheriff’s office, teams used sonar to locate the body at around 11:30 p.m. Sunday and then were able to recover the body.
The medical examiner will identify the victim and his cause of death at a later time.
Previous story:
The search for a person at a pond in Loring Park was suspended overnight.
Crews responded to the pond at about 8:25 p.m. on reports that a male had entered the pond and was struggling to swim. The Minneapolis Fire Department said first responders believed they saw a male in the middle of the pond before he submerged and crews lost sight of him.
Because the pond doesn’t have a boat launch, crews weren’t able to launch a boat so they put on immersion suits and entered the water with floatable devices to try and find the victim. Crews also deployed a rapid deployment inflatable craft to find the victim. However, searches were unsuccessful.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s dive team was then called and dispatched.
A KSTP photographer at the scene said the search was called off just before 1 a.m. Monday.
Officials haven’t said the victim was found.
Original story:
An apparent water emergency mission was underway Sunday night at Loring Park Pond near downtown Minneapolis.
A heavy police presence, along with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Water Patrol, was at the scene. Officers could be seen paddling a banana boat out on the pond.
After dark fell, the Hennepin County dive team set out on the pond aiming flashlights at the water, apparently looking for someone underneath the surface.
No other information was immediately available.
This is a breaking news story. Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com for the latest updates.