Body recovered after apparent drowning in pond at Minneapolis' Loring Park

The Hennepin County sheriff's dive team recovered a body from the Loring Park pond late Sunday after crews responded to reports of a man struggling to swim in the water feature at the Minneapolis park.

The dive team recovered the body around 11:30 p.m. after using sonar and verification by a diver to locate it, according to Andy Skoogman, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The Minneapolis Fire Department responded about 8:25 p.m. to the pond, on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, according to a Fire Department news release. Rescue crews believed they saw the man in the middle of the pond before he went under the surface, the release said.

Because there is no boat launch at the pond, fire crews were unable to use their boats, according to the release. Instead, they put on immersion suits and entered the pond with floatable devices to try to find and rescue the man. Crews also used a rapid deployment inflatable craft, the release said.

The dive team was contacted and dispatched after fire crews were unable to find the man, and it took over rescue operations upon arrival.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will identify the man who drowned, Skoogman said.

Emma Nelson