Two men missing in hazardous portion of Arizona’s Salt River

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Fire Department crews searched a mile up and down a dangerous portion of the Salt River for two men who reportedly yelled for help and then went missing Sunday morning.

By mid-afternoon, the fire department turned over the scene to the Phoenix Police Department. There was no sign of the two men as of just before 4 p.m. PST.

Initial reports from witnesses said the men may have been on a kayak, paddle board or boogie board, but those details were uncertain, fire department spokesperson Scott Douglas said in an emailed statement.

ABC15 Arizona reported that a person ran for help and came back, but by then, two men were out of sight.

Multiple search parties deployed without success, the city’s fire department said in a statement. The disappearance happened in a portion of the river considered “dangerous” and closed for recreation, according to the department.

“We urge all people to remain out of the water due to the potential life safety hazard that this swift water presents,” Douglas said in a statement.

The city’s police department turned over all inquiries to the fire department.