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The bodies of three men were recovered from the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, on Wednesday after they went missing while fishing and swimming on a sandbar.
The victims, who ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s, were reported missing Tuesday evening near a boat ramp at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, about 13 miles north of Memphis, authorities said.
Search and rescue teams with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and other Memphis-area agencies began looking for the men Tuesday evening and eventually had to call off the search because of darkness, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said.
Three men who went missing while fishing and swimming on a Mississippi River sandbar near Memphis have been found dead following an extensive search by Shelby County authorities. (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office; via AP)
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The search, which included aircraft, rescue boats, drones and the use of sonar, resumed Wednesday morning.
The first two bodies were recovered at about 11 a.m. and the third at around 12:45 p.m., the sheriff’s office said. A cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner.
The victims, who authorities said were all Hispanic, were identified as Marlon Mendez, 28, Rudy Perez, 31, and Jose Yanes, 52.
Authorities said the men had been fishing and swimming on a sandbar – a natural ridge of sand formed when fast-moving water slows and deposits sediment. In rivers like the Mississippi, sandbars can be unstable and collapse under weight or shifting currents.
A shoe and a fishing rod at the scene. (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)
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Officials say the area has become increasingly popular but the river is treacherous, with several other hazards including strong currents, submerged items, branches and debris.
“There are eddy currents that can pull an Olympic swimmer under. You can be drawn into the channel and find yourself staring at a 24-unit barge that’s the size of a skyscraper on its side coming straight at you with no way for the barge crew to have any idea that you are there,” the fire department said on Facebook.
A search team on the water where the men were found. (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office)
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Yanes’ family told Fox 10 News that he has six children, the youngest of whom is 12 years old.
Doug Ammons, the owner of a general store a few miles from the river, told the outlet that the river is “lethally dangerous.”
“This is a horrific tragedy right here, and it happens way too often,” Ammons said. “But I understand how it happens. The probability of one-on-one taking on the mighty Mississippi, you’re going to lose. Especially without a flotation device.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.