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Body of missing swimmer found at Lake Mead

The body of a woman who went missing while swimming in Lake Mead on Wednesday was found in the lake on Saturday morning.

Park rangers were called to a report of a woman missing about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday at Special Events Beach, near the Hemenway Harbor launch pad, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area said in a statement Thursday. The woman went missing after six people on an oversized flamingo float were blown into the lake, and the woman jumped off the float into the water to help another swimmer.

The woman didn’t make it back to shore after jumping into the water, the park service said Thursday.

Lake Mead spokeswoman Christie Vanover said Saturday the woman’s body was found within the search area near Special Events Beach. According to a statement from the park service, her body was found by a boater about 10:40 a.m. and was recovered by rangers.

When announcing her disappearance Thursday, the park service did not name the woman. The Clark County coroner’s office will identify her, along with her cause and manner of death, after her family has been notified.

The park service has said wind gusts were nearly 30 mph at the time she went missing.

The search included rangers and officers from the Boulder City Police Department and Metropolitan Police Department, along with “numerous friends and family,” the park said. Searchers used boats, underwater cameras, divers, helicopter and people walking the shoreline while looking for her.

Her death remained under investigation on Saturday.

The National Park Service on Saturday advised boaters to be aware of hazardous conditions predicted for Sunday, when gusts from 40 to 50 mph are expected. The gusts could create 2- to 4-foot waves, and winds will be strong enough to swamp small crafts and blow inflatable toys into the middle of the lake, the park said.

The park service encouraged people to use life jackets and said swimming in the lake on Sunday is discouraged.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_nebwerg on Twitter.

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