The search for a missing swimmer in the Chicopee River was suspended Saturday afternoon after efforts to recover his body were unsuccessful. Rescue crews had earlier found the body of another swimmer from the same group of 14 people that ran into difficulty on the river Friday evening.
Wilbraham Police Department Sergeant Shawn Baldwin tells NBC affiliate WWLP that the body of one swimmer was pulled from the Chicopee River around 8:10 p.m. Friday.
Police had continued searching Saturday for the second missing swimmer, but suspended the search by the afternoon, WWLP reported.
First responders originally received a call around 5 p.m. Friday that more than a dozen people needed to be rescued from the river off Red Bridge Road in Wilbraham.
A group of nine adults and five children were at the Chicopee River when five of the adults, who were swimming, began to struggle.
Area crews were able to pull all the kids out to safety, and several adults were also pulled out of the water.
Three of those adults were taken to an area hospital. There was no immediate word on what they were treated for or their current conditions.
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Ludlow Fire Captain Richard Machado told WWLP there are strong currents in the area where two rivers meet at an open dam.
Police tell WWLP all of the children involved have since been reunited with family members.
State police divers and helicopters were aiding area fire crews in the search, WWLP reported.
Officials are not releasing the name of the man whose body was discovered Friday night, as they are having a hard time locating his family.
