CANISTOTA, S.D. -- Area rescue crews recovered a man's body Thursday afternoon from a pond near Lake Vermillion.
McCook County Emergency Management Director Brad Stiefvater said emergency crews received a call around 3:15 p.m. Thursday about a person who had gone into a farm pond three miles south of Lake Vermillion.
Stiefvater said the victim was a man in his early 20s and believed to be from out of state. He said authorities were withholding the man's name pending notification of family members.
According to Stiefvater, the incident happened on private property, and the pond is part of a dog-training facility. By the time emergency responders arrived at the scene, he said it was treated as a recovery, which took about two hours.
"Heavy vegetation in this pond made recovery difficult," Stiefvater said.
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While that vegetation may have played a role in the drowning, Stiefvater said the cause is still under investigation.
"At this point it's a little early," he said. "In the heat of the moment, everything is hearsay until you can step back and take a good look at it."
