Columbia Co. officials recover body from Wisconsin River, search for second person resumes Friday

PORTAGE, Wis. (WMTV) – Officials recovered the body of one person and are still searching for another after two people went underwater Thursday on the Wisconsin River and didn’t resurface.

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Greg Bisch explained that a witness told officials just before 4 p.m. that they saw two people go under the water and they hadn’t come back up. The pair were playing with a football when one person went out after the ball, fell off the end of a sandbar and went under the water. The other individual went to help the person who fell into the river and also went under the water.

Authorities from multiple agencies responded quickly after being called to the river, near County Highway U. Bisch said officials pulled one person’s body from the river Thursday night, noting that they do not know the person’s identity and the individual is believed to be one of the two missing people.

Crews stayed out until dark searching for the second person and will resume recovery efforts Friday. Officials do not know the ages or identities of either person.

Bisch noted that the Wisconsin River is an ever-changing environment and sandbars can give way to a current.

“It’s just a very dangerous circumstance when you’re out here having a good time on a nice summer day like today and tragedy hits just like that,” Bisch said.

Officials ask that members of the community avoid the area where law enforcement are searching, because it can create currents and impede recovery efforts. Portage Fire Chief Troy Haase said earlier that crews were searching around docks and along the shore.

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