A 31-year-old Tongan man died after drowning on Saturday 25 in Utah in the United States.
The incident occurred at the Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, police said.
According to local media the man was identified by police as Penoni Mounga, of Kearns.
Mounga, who was swimming with more than 30 family members at the reservoir, 15000 S. Ashland Ridge Drive, went underwater around 3:40 p.m., according to Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell.
The family had swum across the reservoir and was on the way back when Mounga fell behind and “just didn’t make it back,” Bell said.
A family member reported the Mounga’s disappearance, and Unified Fire Authority dive teams quickly began searching for him. Mounga had been underwater about 20 minutes by that time, police said.
Mounga’s body was recovered around 4:30 p.m. Drugs or alcohol were not factors in the incident, police said.
“We’ve had too many drownings — one is too many — but we’ve had a few this spring,” Bell said.
Swimmers should use flotation devices and keep someone within an arm’s reach when swimming, he said.
