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Search for fisherman in Potomac River becomes recovery effort

Rescuers searched for the body of a 67-year-old man who slipped from the rocks on the Virginia side of the Potomac River near the Chain Bridge.

D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman Vito Maggiolo told ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ a family member saw the man, who is considered a “moderately good” swimmer, fall at 7:40 a.m. Friday.

After a 75-minute search that used fireboats, inflatables, and people and dogs searching the shoreline, the search turned into a recovery operation.

Boats were monitoring the river downstream to find the man.

Chain Bridge was closed in both directions between Va. 123 and Canal Road for almost two hours.

Multiple agencies assisted D.C. Fire and EMS, including the D.C. police, Arlington County Fire Department and the U.S. Park Police.

²ÝÝ®´«Ã½’s Megan Cloherty and Fonda Mwangi contributed to this story. 

Colleen Kelleher

Colleen Kelleher is an award-winning journalist who has been with ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ since 1996. Kelleher joined ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ as the afternoon radio writer and night and weekend editor and made the move to ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½.com in 2001. Now she works early mornings as the site's Senior Digital Editor.

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