Man’s body recovered from the Congaree River

Columbia, SC (Paul Kirby) – A body that is believed to be that of a man that went missing in the Congaree River on Sunday morning was recovered yesterday afternoon. According to the SCDNR, the body was located not far from the Gervais Street Bridge, where the man was last seen swimming.

According to witnesses, the man and three friends were swimming in the river when they got into trouble. One was able to make it to safety under his own power, two others were rescued by others, and the fourth went under and never resurfaced.

Rescuers responded from both sides of the river under the coordination of the City of Columbia Fire Department. They searched until dark on Sunday and took up the search again Monday. Searchers thought that weather might severely hinder their search on Tuesday, but they were able to return to the river and located the man’s body.

The identity of the man has not yet been released by the coroner’s office.