NORTH ATTLEBORO — The Bristol North Regional Dive Team helped in a search Monday that ended sadly when the body of a man was recovered from a Rhode Island reservoir.
The 50-year-old man had swum to help distressed kayakers Sunday before going under the water.
His body was recovered by Rhode Island divers Monday afternoon from the Wenscott Reservoir, authorities said.
Earlier Monday, a team of seven divers from the regional Bristol North team led by North Attleboro Assistant Fire Chief George McKinnon went to help their Rhode Island counterparts.
The team is made up of firefighters from North Attleboro, Norton, Easton and Franklin.
The Wenscott Reservoir crosses into North Providence, Smithfield and Lincoln.
On Sunday, the unidentified man swam in water near the Notte Memorial Park near Douglas Pike (Route 7) to help two kayakers. He was able to get the kayakers to safety but did not resurface.
Rhode Island fire crews were dispatched around 7 p.m. Sunday and searched for about three hours until it became too dark to continue.
The efforts to find the man Monday were complicated by heavy rain.
Because the reservoir spans multiple jurisdictions and covers a large area, Lincoln, Smithfield, North Providence and Rhode Island State Police searched for the missing man.
David Linton may be reached at 508-236-0338.
