HARPERS FERRY, MD — A man drowned in a dangerous part of the Potomac River July 4th in the area of “The Point” at Harpers Ferry.
According to a post on the Potomac Valley Fire Company social media, the call came in just before 5 p.m. that as many as four people were involved. Two of the individuals made it to shore with the help of bystanders, according to the fire company. Boat 11’s crew rescued a third individual downstream who had tried to rescue the others. A fourth individual had not resurfaced.
Frederick County Dive Team 15 and Frederick County Company 29 and their drone were called along with a diver from Maryland DNR. “After crews searched for over 2 hours, the recovery of the 4th individual was made.”
The fire company ended its post by saying they cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a personal flotation device (PFD) while doing activities in the river, “even if you consider yourself to be a “good” swimmer.”
Among the crews responding, Potomac Valley, Company 11, Company 8, Boat 20-01, Safety 100, as well as units from Frederick, Washington, and Jefferson Counties