MALDEN, W.Va. — Volunteers walked the banks of the Kanawha River on Monday morning, resuming their search for a missing swimmer.
The 28-year-old man disappeared into the water around 4 p.m. Sunday, downstream from the confluence with Campbell’s Creek.
“Most often we see people out here wading on the shallow shoals like this, when they step off they’re not prepared for it,” said Kanawha County fire coordinator C.W. Sigman from the scene. “That’s why when we advocate when you’re out here wading with kids and so forth put life jackets on them.”
The man was wading with a child when he encountered trouble. He managed to get the child back into safety before he went under and never resurfaced.
Divers were expected to re-enter the water sometime Monday. The Malden and Charleston fire departments were on scene with boats. Conditions didn’t appear to complicate the search despite heavy rain through the weekend.
“The water does not appear to be up and if it is, it’s marginally. I checked the stream gauge and it wasn’t up much. It’s summertime we can take a lot of water,” Sigman said. “What comes out of Campbell’s Creek is a little murky from the rain we’ve had, but the main stream is OK for the most part.”
Divers and searchers tried for several hours Sunday night to locate the victim. Sigman said historically, bodies who have drowned in the river don’t move much past the spot where they were last seen.
“Generally we find them pretty close, within a few feet of where they went down … but you never say never and never say always. He could have been caught up with the current or a tow boat going down the river. It’s hard to tell right now.”