HELENA — A 17-year-old Helena High School student drowned over the weekend at Canyon Ferry Reservoir east of Helena, Lewis and Clark County officials said.
The boy and other teens were swimming at a day use area on Saturday when the current became too strong for him to get back to shore, Sheriff Leo Dutton told the Independent Record.
Erratic winds caused larger waves than normal and the boy was reportedly not a strong swimmer, Dutton said.
Emergency responders were dispatched at about 4:20 p.m. The search for his body lasted about two hours.
An autopsy was planned. The boy’s name has not been released. He was a junior at Helena High.
Additional counselors are at the school, the school district said in a letter to parents.