MIKANA, Wis. — Authorities in western Wisconsin said a 71-year-old grandfather died in an apparent drowning after saving one of his grandchildren from the water on Saturday.
According to a social media post by the Barron Co. Sheriff's Office, the man had taken his two grandchildren fishing and swimming just below the Mikana Dam when one of the children started to struggle.
"Grandpa went in to help the kids, got them to where they could stand again and they made it to shore," the post read. "For an unknown reason the male went under and drowned."
First responders were initially unsuccessful in their efforts to find the man, until a dive team later recovered his body.
Authorities said both children were wearing life jackets and were safely out of the water.
The man's identity has not been released.
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