HUMBOLDT — A man was pulled from the Des Moines River near Frank A. Gotch State Park south of Humboldt on Sunday evening.

According to Humboldt County Sheriff Dean Kruger, the county’s dispatch received a 911 call at approximately 6:30 p.m. about a person drowning in the water by Gotch Park. Sheriff’s deputies, as well as Humboldt Fire and Rescue, responded to the scene.

The Humboldt Fire Department had to deploy its water rescue boat to retrieve the man, Kruger said.

Humboldt Fire Chief Jim Gronbach said a few people who were at Gotch Park noticed the man floating down the river and “knew he was in trouble.”

“A few people ended up getting him out of the water and pulling him up on the bank until we were able to get there,” he said. “And then we put him in our boat and brought him up to the ramp in Gotch Park and the ambulance was there.”

Gronbach said the man was still breathing and had a pulse, but was unresponsive to people talking to him.

The man was then transported to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge for treatment, Kruger said.

Both Kruger and Gronbach were unable to confirm the identity of the drowning victim or his current condition as of Monday afternoon.

Kruger warns that individuals trying to swim in the Des Moines River should be extra careful because the river’s fast currents could sweep them away, and there are tree limbs and other obstacles under the water that one’s foot or arm can get caught in.

“I know people want to swim and everything, but I don’t really think the rivers are the place to go for that,” he said. “If it was me, I’d stay out of those rivers because you never know what’s underneath there.”