Two men lost their lives in separate drowning incidents along the Salt River during the Memorial Day weekend, according to authorities.
The first incident began Saturday afternoon when deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a missing person near the river around 3:15 p.m.
Search efforts continued into the following day before deputies located the body of 22-year-old Sahr Sewah around 12:15 p.m. Sunday.
According to a fundraising campaign created on behalf of his family, Sewah had recently graduated from Arizona State University and was tubing on the river with friends when he drowned.
The second drowning occurred Monday morning near Saguaro Lake, roughly a half-mile downstream from Stewart Mountain Dam.
Deputies responded around 10:40 a.m. after receiving reports of a man struggling in the middle of the river. Search crews later recovered the body of 23-year-old Jason Blake Jr.
The deaths come during one of the busiest recreational weekends of the year for Arizona waterways, as officials continue urging visitors to wear life jackets, avoid alcohol while swimming or tubing and remain aware of changing river conditions.
