Fisherman drowns in Green River when waders fill with water | The region

A 35-year-old Tacoma man is presumed drowned after he lost his footing and was swept away Wednesday while fishing on the Green River. The Renton fire department Dive Unit was assisting in recovery efforts.

The body of a 35-year-old Tacoma man was recovered at about 3 p.m. today (Thursday) after he was swept away in the Green River near Auburn when his fishing waders filled with water.

The dive team from Renton’s Fire and Emergency Services Department responded to the scene at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to assist in the search for the fisherman.

Renton’s dive team regularly trains in the Cedar River.

Divers were successful in bringing a stranded friend of the victim across the river to safety, according to Preeti Shridhar, a City of Renton spokeswoman. Rescuers searched for the man for about two hours without success.

The Renton team returned to the Green River at about 11 a.m. today and assisted in the recovery of the fisherman’s body, she said.

The incident occurred about 6:20 p.m. near the 11200 block of the Auburn-Black Diamond Road off Highway 18 near Auburn. The man was last seen as he floated into a log jam downriver, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim was wading across the river with a friend in waist-deep water when he lost his footing and his hip-waders started to fill with water, according to the press release.

Several people tried to rescue him by reaching out with their fishing poles and at least one person jumped in after him.