Vermillion River Victim St Paul Man

The name of the man who drowned in the Vermillion River in Ravenna Township on July 23rd was released on Tuesday afternoon by the Hennepin County Coroner, who reports the victim as 30 year old St. Paul resident Maung Ngae. The man and another person were swimming near the Etter Bridge on Monday evening when Ngae attempted to swim across the swift moving water to the other side. His friend noticed that Ngae was struggling in the current and disappeared further downstream. The friend then called 911 and responders from the Goodhue County Sherriff, Hastings Fire Department, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Patrol rushed to the scene at approximately 9pm. The location , just east of the Hastings city limits presented challenging conditions due to the high water, swift current and rapidly falling visibility.
Rescue divers were brought in and searched the area downstream from where Ngae was last seen. Using sonar equipment, responders were able to locate Ngae’s body just before 2am on Tuesday, the 24th. An autopsy was conducted by the Hennepin County coroners which determined the cause of death as drowning. Additional toxicology testing has not been confirmed and it is not known whether the subjects involved were familiar with the conditions of the river, which continues from below the Vermillion Falls to reach the Mississippi just east of where the man was swimming.