DULUTH – A 31-year-old man drowned in the St. Louis River on Wednesday after authorities said he tried to save his daughter and another child who had gone underwater off Duluth's Boy Scout Landing on the western edge of town.

The body of Kevin Ingles of Superior, Wis., was recovered at 5:20 p.m. following a three-hour search, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities were notified about 2 p.m. that a 5-year-old girl and an 8-year-old girl were seen struggling in the water off a sandbar. Bystanders were able to pull them safely to shore, but Ingles did not resurface after going underwater in an attempt to rescue them, the Sheriff's Office said.

The strong current, high winds and Ingles' swimming abilities all could have factored into his death, Duluth Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Edwards said.

"When you see your child struggling in the water, you're going to do whatever you can do to save them," Edwards said. "He did help them until he succumbed to the water. In my mind he died a hero saving his daughter and someone he didn't know."

Rescue boats from numerous agencies searched for Ingles for hours, and anglers in the area lent their private fishing boats and equipment to fire department crews.