First responders pulled a man’s body from the Potomac River near the Chain Bridge and Fletcher’s Cove in Georgetown on Thursday. Officials are warning people not to swim there.
DC Police have launched an investigation into the death of the drowned person, whom they are trying to identify.
DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department was tipped off by boaters in the area about the body spotted in the Potomac River earlier in the day.
Authorities are trying to determine if the recovered body belongs to a man who reportedly drowned in the river last Tuesday.
Body recovery Potomac River vicinity Fletchers Boathouse & Chain Bridge. #DCsBravest have recovered a body spotted by civilian boaters. Victim being brought to shore. Working in conjunction with @DCPoliceDept Harbor Division. pic.twitter.com/lXvH2wzZJl
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) June 11, 2020
“The Potomac River around Chain Bridge is treacherous and deceiving. DO NOT swim anywhere in this area. If you are on the shoreline, stay a safe distance from the water. A fall into the river can quickly turn fatal,” DC Fire and EMS warned DC area residents in a tweet.
Over the past few weeks, two drownings took place in the Potomac River, while no recoveries happened until Thursday.
The public’s recent interest in swimming in the river is thought to be due to the closure of swimming pools in the region as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.