Four Different Water Emergencies in Three Days Across Minnesota Lead to Three Deaths & Airlifted Child

Undated (KROC-AM News)- Three people are dead and a child is in the hospital following four separate water emergencies in three days across Minnesota. 

See Also: Overnight Fire in Southern Minnesota Claims lives of Two People 

First responders across the state were dispatched to four different water emergencies between Friday and Sunday.

Two were reported in or near the Twin Cities metro and the other two occurred in northern Minnesota. 

Father Dies in Attempt to Save Two Children from Drowning in Mississippi Rover

The first potential drowning report came late Friday morning in Elk River. The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office launched a search effort in the Mississippi River after receiving reports that a man had gone underwater and failed to resurface.  

Officials say the possible drowning occurred after two children swimming in the river began to struggle in the strong current. 

Read More: Body Recovered from River in Sherburne County 

The children were rescued and first responders recovered the man’s body on Sunday morning. He’s since been identified as 41-year-old Cody Jay Pope. 

Man Dies in Apparent Drowning at Lakeville Park

The second drowning report surfaced on Sunday in Lakeville when authorities responded to the report of a man not resurfacing after he went underwater. 

Read More: Authorities Investigating Apparent Drowning in Southern Minnesota Lake

Limited information is available as of Monday morning, however Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko said he Dakota County dive team recovered the body of an adult male approximately 40 yards from the shore of Lake Marion in the Twin Cities suburb's Antlers Park on Sunday afternoon. 

The man’s name has not been released. 

Woman Dies Chasing Pontoon, Child Airlifted After Being Found in Pool In Separate Northern Minnesota Incidents

On Monday morning the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office released a report regarding a drowning that happened on Saturday. 

A news release says a husband and wife were swimming on Long Lost Lake, which is about 45 miles southwest of Bemidji, when the pontoon they were riding began to drift away from the area they were swimming at. 

The husband said he and wife went swimming after it. The man said he looked behind him during the pursuit of the pontoon and found his wife face down in the water.  

He then yelled for help and the woman was pulled from the water. Authorities say life-saving measures were not successful and the woman was pronounced dead. 

She’s been identified as 70-year-old Cheryl Breitbach of Ponsford, MN. 

On Sunday, Authorities in Clearwater County learned a child was unresponsive in a residential swimming pool. The child was taken to a hospital before being airlifted to Fargo for further care. 

Both Clearwater County incidents are under investigation.

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