Man drowns in Middle Fork

A 20-year-old man drowned while swimming in the Snoqualmie River at the Middle Fork Natural Area Saturday evening, Aug. 16.

Captain Jack Greathouse of Eastside Fire and Rescue said the young man was swimming with a friend when he disappeared underwater shortly before 6 p.m. Unable to find the victim, the friend called 911. Rescuers recovered the man’s body under 15 feet of water about 40 minutes after he disappeared. They tried to revive him for 10 to 15 minutes before pronouncing him dead.

The man’s name has not been released. The King County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the incident.

Greathouse said people should be cautious and preferably use life jackets when they’re in rivers.

“It’s different than swimming in a lake; it can be a lot more exhausting,” he said. “Even though it was a hot day, the water is still extremely cold. And people don’t recognize the current patterns,” he said.

On June 30, a 36-year-old man drowned in the Snoqualmie River after he fell off his inner tube. He was not wearing a life jacket.

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