HOOPER, Utah, June 25, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Deputies rescued one 17-year-old boy and crews are searching for another teen who disappeared underwater Sunday afternoon while swimming in a canal in Weber County.
Weber County Sheriff‘s Lt. Colby Ryan said three 17-year-olds — two boys and a girl — were swimming in a canal at the Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area about 4:30 p.m. when one of the boys went underwater near a retention gate and didn’t resurface.
The other 17-year-old boy tried to rescue his friend and became stuck near the gate, Ryan told Gephardt Daily. The teen girl was able to get out of the water and call 911, he said.
“When deputies arrived, the other male was barely hanging onto a retention gate in the canal,” Ryan said. “Deputies were able to climb down and pull him from the water.”
Search and rescue crews, including divers, were still searching the water and area for the missing teen at 10 p.m.
The water is about 7-10 feet deep in the area the teen went under, but it’s very murky and difficult for divers to see more than 4-5 inches around them, Ryan said.
“The dam was open a little bit to let water through, and apparently there’s a pretty swift undercurrent where that dam is,” he said.
None of the teens were wearing life preservers or using flotation devices, according to the sheriff’s office.
Gephardt Daily will have more details as information becomes available.
