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Crews recover body of drowning victim at Fort Dickerson Quarry

Divers were sent into the water Sunday and the search continued throughout the day on Monday.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE 10:15 PM  Dive teams were able to locate the body of a missing swimmer in Fort Dickerson Quarry. 

According to KPD, crews recovered the body of 29-year-old Porfirio Ruiz of Knoxville just after 9:30 p.m.

UPDATE 11:30AM MONDAY: The body of a man feared drowned in Fort Dickerson Quarry has not yet been found and the search for him will continue Monday afternoon, according to the Knoxville Police Department.

A release about 9:20 a.m. Monday from KPD incorrectly stated the man's body had been found and included his name. That was due to a communications breakdown, according to the department.

"It was initially reported that the body of the drowning victim had been recovered from the Fort Dickerson Quarry," a subsequent release stated. "At this time, the victim has not been located. Recovery operations conducted by the Knox County Rescue and TWRA will resume this afternoon."

PREVIOUS STORY: The Knox County Rescue Squad is responding to a suspected drowning at Fort Dickerson Quarry.

Officials said the call came in at 6:22 p.m. on Sunday.

The victim, an adult male, was at the park with his family when he was observed falling off of a float into the water and never resurfaced, according to the Knoxville Police Department.

KPD said rescue efforts continued until around 7:30 p.m. when it was changed from a rescue to a recovery operation, which is being led by the Knox County Rescue Squad and TWRA.

Divers were sent into the water, and now they are using sonar to continue actively searching the area, according to Knox County Rescue Squad.

Knoxville Police Department, Knoxville Fire Department and Knox County Rescue Squad personnel all responded to the scene.

No other information is available at this time. This article will be updated as we learn more. 

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