Search Continues for Missing Boiling Pots Swimmer

The search for a missing Boiling Pots swimmer continues Wednesday.

On Monday evening, Hawai’i County Fire Department personnel were called to Boiling Pots where they learned that a 62-year-old woman who had been swimming in the area, located along Wailuku River, had gone missing after being swept away by rushing water.

The search was suspended until morning light on Tuesday, when the searched picked up again with both ground teams and helicopter searches as the river and banks of the river were combed. Rescuers searched into nightfall before suspending the search until Wednesday morning.

HFD Fire Captain Richard Fong told Big Island Now that raging river conditions made searching within the water difficult. Swiftwater rescuers deployed into river eddies near the area where the victim was last known, but found no signs of the victim.

“Hopefully we can conduct diver operations, if the water conditions cooperate. The weather was limiting [Tuesday],” said Captain Fong.

Fire personnel say they believe that the woman was floating on an inflatable tube before she fell off and was unable to get herself out of fast moving water.

Boiling Pots State Park is currently closed as operations continue.