Swimmer missing in Arnhem river; Search resumes today

A swimmer went missing in the Rhine River near Arnhem on Tuesday. Firefighters searched for the man until darkness fell but found nothing. The police and Rijkswaterstaat will resume the search on Wednesday.

De Gelderlander reported that the missing swimmer was an asylum seeker who was staying on one of the reception boats in Arnhem. He came to one of the beaches with a group of other asylum seekers to enjoy the summer weather.

A spokesperson for the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) confirmed to the newspaper that an asylum seeker was missing.

This is the third time in a few months that an asylum seeker drowned in the Rhine river, according to NOS. Last month, an 18-year-old from Sudan drowned in the river. In May, an asylum seeker also drowned in the Rhine near Arnhem.