Bodies found of 3 men who helped rescue child from river

RIO VISTA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities recovered the bodies of three men who went missing after being swept away by a river current in Northern California shortly after helping to rescue a child over the holiday weekend, officials said Wednesday.

The 8-year-old boy was able to make it to shore Sunday in Three Mile Slough, a popular boating and swimming destination south of Sacramento, but the three men who jumped in the water to help him were pulled under, the Rio Vista Fire Department said in a statement.

Rio Vista Fire Department, California State Parks and U.S. Coast Guard officials searched for the men in the delta area of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Sacramento. After two days of searching, the men’s bodies were recovered Tuesday, the department said.

“While we wish the outcome of this incident was very different, we continue to hope for healing and closure for the family and friends of those lost,” the Rio Vista Fire Department said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Relatives identified the men as Edwin Rivas, Edwin Perez and Danilo Solorzano. They lived in Oakland and were originally from Guatemala, according to a fundraising website asking for donations to send their bodies to their homeland for burial.

The fire department urged residents and visitors to wear proper life vests when in the water and to consider life vests for children and young adults while on the shore.

“The currents of the Sacramento River and its tributaries are strong and unpredictable,” it said.