EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect new information from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office
CARUTHERS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Crews have recovered the body of a man who they say drowned while swimming in a ponding basin on Monday afternoon, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Around 4:15 p.m., officials say they were called out to a ponding basin near Conejo and West avenues in Caruthers for a report of a possible drowning.
When deputies arrived, they learned that a man believed to be in his 30s had been swimming in the ponding basin with his teenage son and a friend when they started to head toward the shore.
During the swim, deputies say the man got tired and ended up going underwater before he could reach land.
The man’s son and the friend were able to get back to shore safely and went to call law enforcement for help.
Around 7:00 p.m., crews found the man and pulled his body from the pond.
Investigators on the scene say the limited visibility of the water made it difficult to search the ponding basin.