COURTNEY BLETHEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Family of boys keeps vigil at Green River
David Mundell, center, hugs his mother, Karen Green, as family and friends gather Saturday along the Green River where two boys are missing and presumed drowned.
Mundell is the stepfather of Austin Fuda, 13, who was in a car that went into the river Friday.
Family, friends of boys keep vigil at Green River
Families of two boys presumed drowned in the Green River gathered on the riverbank Saturday.
By Nicole Tsong
Seattle Times staff reporter
AUBURN — On the banks of the Green River, the parents of 13-year-old Austin Fuda stood and wept.
Saturday marked their first pilgrimage to the site where a car carrying Austin and 2-year-old cousin Hunter Beaupre went into the river Friday morning. The driver, Austin's 16-year-old stepsister, swam to safety.
Officials suspended the search for the boys Friday because of the swift current, which had worsened by Saturday. Rescuers believe they know where the car is and that the boys are in it, but they need a couple of days without rain before they can bring them out, said King County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart.
The river was flowing at about 2,900 cubic feet per second when the car went into the water and swelled to more than 4,000 by Saturday morning, he said. The current needs to be below 2,000 cubic feet per second before it's safe for divers to go in, Urquhart said.
"It's just way too fast and too dangerous to go in there," he said.
click link for more
Austin Fuda, though not a friend of mine, grew up with me at Soos Creek Elementary. I didn't know him well but the story is still enough to draw tears to my eye. It seems so unreal that a guy I played games with in gym and sat next to in assemblies could be gone so suddenly.
ReplyDeleteI give my prayers to Austin and Hunter's families, especially their parents. I hope they know that they aren't the only ones out there saddened by their loss and praying the bodies are recovered as soon as possible.
-Matthew Martin