Father drowns in ponding basin. Fresno County authorities describe what happened

Emergency workers recovered the body of a drowning victim Monday night near Caruthers after he went underwater in a ponding basin.

Fresno County Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said the accident took place around 4 p.m. near Conejo and West avenues. The man was with his 15-year-old son and an adult friend at a large ponding basin owned by Consolidated Irrigation District of Selma.

The victim, 34, became tired and all three began to swim toward shore, but the man went underwater. The sheriff’s dive team recovered his body about 7 p.m. His name was not released, pending an announcement by the Fresno County Coroner.

Botti said the ponding basin is full of water from currently flowing irrigation canals The temperature of the pool is about 75 degrees and its depth at the deepest point is about 12 feet.

This story was originally published June 27, 2022 at 7:21 PM.