Officials believe a man likely drowned in the Payette River over the weekend, making him the third person to die in the river since May 24.

Boise County Sheriff Scott Turner said two men from Eagle were jumping into the river off rocks and a bridge on Friday evening when one of them was swept away. The 24-year-old was last seen near the bridge on West Boise Street, according to the sheriff.

“His friend tried to save him but was unsuccessful,” Turner told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “He almost drowned himself.”

The sheriff said emergency responders quickly made their way to the scene after receiving a 911 call. The search team included two helicopters, Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, the Gem County Sheriff’s Office and local rafting companies.

They searched until dark on Friday and continued the search throughout the weekend, but with no success, according to the sheriff. Turner planned to have divers search Monday, but an increase in river flow made it too unsafe.

“We’re evaluating that on a day-to-day basis until the river calms a bit,” Turner said.

The Eagle man’s disappearance was the third tragic accident in the Payette in a week’s span.

On Friday, May 24, a man drowned when he was pulled under by the current after jumping off the Alder Creek Bridge on the South Fork of the river in Garden Valley. Searchers did not find his body until the next day, Turner said.

That same day, a man died after his vehicle veered into the river at about 12:30 p.m. on Idaho Highway 55 between Horseshoe Bend and Banks, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.

Turner declined to identify the names of those victims.

The sheriff asked the public to use caution around the river.

“There’s still a lot of snow up high that’s melting and running off,” Turner said. “The river is running pretty high, pretty fast. People just need to be aware of their surroundings and be aware that the conditions of the river are still dangerous.”

He advised people who still plan to recreate to wear life jackets and pay attention to water conditions.