CAMDEN -- A 17-year-old boy is presumed dead after he was seen struggling in the Ouachita River early Sunday afternoon, Camden Police Chief Boyd Woody said.
Woody declined to release the boy's name.
The Camden police and fire departments responded around 5 p.m. Sunday to a report of a "person in distress" in the Ouachita River, near the River Walk, according to a Facebook post made Monday by police. Upon arrival, officers saw one person "in obvious distress" about 100 yards from the river bank, the post states.
Authorities said the Fire Department launched rescue boats immediately and, with help from local residents, began searching the river.
A team of 12 divers utilizing sonar from the Miller County Office of Emergency Management also joined in the search. Around 4 a.m. Monday, the search was called off until daylight, according to the post.
The Fire Department, along with an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission dive team, resumed the search of the river later Monday morning. Police and the city's public works department are working on logistics and assisting in the search, the post states.
The Ouachita River was at 29 feet high early Sunday afternoon, and the Thatcher Lock and Dam was closed to navigation because of high river levels Friday.
Woody said recovery efforts will continue until the body is found.