A 16-year-old boy drowned Wednesday night in the Columbia River near Frenchman’s Bar, despite a “herculean” search effort from multiple area agencies.

Crews from Clark County Fire District 6, the Vancouver Fire Department and Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue responded, along with members of the regional technical rescue team, a fire boat from Multnomah County, Ore., and a helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Agencies responded to the search call about 8:50 p.m., according to Fire District 6 spokesman Dave Schmitke.

Witnesses told first responders their friend was trying to swim to a wing dam on the river. When he was about 20 yards off shore, he went underwater and never resurfaced, Schmitke said.

Despite the “herculean response,” Schmitke said, shortly after 9 p.m., the rescue effort turned

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