A Sumter family is grieving after a child drowned while playing with friends at Pocalla Swamp off Burkett Drive on Wednesday afternoon.
Reports indicate five boys, ranging in age from 7 to 12, were playing near the swamp when one of the boys, a 9-year-old, entered the water and went under, a news release from Sumter Police Department stated.
The other boys ran to a nearby home where emergency officials were called about 3:15 p.m., saying somebody was in the water at Burkett Drive near the train trestle, said Joey Duggan, Sumter Fire Department battalion chief.
Stadium Road Station responded with a few boats that were already attached to trucks in preparation for Hurricane Florence, he said.
Firefighters were quick to get a boat in the water, he said, and locate the boy within about 10 minutes.