Swimmer presumed dead after going missing in the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton

Edmonton firefighters and police searched through the night for a swimmer who went missing in the North Saskatchewan River late Friday.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services said the 911 call came in at 11:26 p.m. from Dawson Park near 102 Avenue and 89 Street in central Edmonton.

Officials said a group of four friends went for a late-night swim in the river, and one of the men vanished.

Edmonton fire said a search and rescue boat, along with three other units, began scouring the water for the 25-year-old. The Edmonton Police Service Air 1 helicopter, a police boat, and EMS also responded.

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On Saturday morning, Edmonton fire told Global News its rescue operation had been called off.

However, police said the river was searched from Parkland County to Fort Saskatchewan by EPS and its partnering search and rescue agencies throughout Saturday, but the man was not found.

With the spring thaw in the mountains well underway and temperatures soaring over the next several days in Edmonton, police and other emergency agencies are reminding people looking for respite from the heat to practice appropriate caution around the glacier-fed North Saskatchewan River.

A body was pulled from the river on Sunday upstream near Kinsmen Park; however, Edmonton police said it was not the swimmer who went missing on Saturday but rather was related to a mental health incident on the High Level Bridge.