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Man jumps into Columbia River to help woman, drowns

Editor’s note: The man who likely drowned has been identified since the original publishing of this article. Details can be found here.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man likely drowned in the Columbia River after jumping from a boat to help a woman who was struggling in the water, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said.

The first call came in at 5:12 p.m. Sunday, authorities said. Witnesses said the man saw the woman struggling to swim and jumped in to help near the west end of Lemon Island, not far from the Glen Jackson Bridge. While the woman was able to get to safety, the man, who was not wearing a life jacket, did not come back up.

Deputies from the River Patrol Unit went to the scene along with boats from Portland Fire & Rescue and the Coast Guard. However, officials said that an extensive search did not find him and he is presumed to have drowned.

The man’s identity has not yet been publicly released.

No further details are available at this time.