A 50-year-old man from Mapleton died while swimming in the North Umpqua River on Aug. 2, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Jonathon Vasquez had been swimming in the river when he went underwater and did not resurface, the sheriff's office said.
Dispatchers received a call at 5 p.m. Aug. 2 of a possible drowning in the North Umpqua River near milepost 24.5 on Highway 138E.
Vasquez's body was later recovered by rescue personnel, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier in the day at 2 p.m., a 33-year-old from Myrtle Creek went into the current near Baker Wayside and was swept downstream to the opposite side of the river, the sheriff's office said. The person sustained an ankle injury after slipping on the rocky shoreline and was stranded due to rapids and swift currents.
Central Douglas Fire & Rescue used a raft to rescue the individual and returned them to shore.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin expressed his condolences to Vasquez's family.
“The Sheriff's Office extends gratitude to all emergency responders and agencies involved in these incidents," the release said.
Mariah Johnston is an outdoors journalism intern at the Statesman Journal. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 50-year-old Oregon man drowns on North Umpqua River
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