Rescuers Find Body in Water Under Tiverton's Seapowet Bridge

Rescuers have found the submerged body of a man beneath the Seapowet Bridge in south Tiverton. They have been on the scene searching for a man since Saturday evening, when an abandoned car was reported on the bridge. They searched for several hours Saturday night, before calling off the search at 8 p.m.

Tiverton firefighters and police officers and Rhode Island State Police resumed the search at 9 a.m. Easter Sunday morning, focusing efforts on the water in the Seapowet Marsh area.

At about 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Tiverton resident Matt Messier was standing on the bridge with a small crowd when he saw the body in the water. "There it is," he said.

Police officers are closing the Seapowet Bridge. They guess the body is 9 feet beneath the surface. They may bring in a diving team to retrieve it.

Tiverton Fire Department Lt. Peter Manchester said they called off the search around 8 p.m. Saturday night because it was too dark. There was also heavy fog in the area. He said they combed the area with two boats. "We've searched throughout the area," he said.

The Seapowet Bridge is relatively small. The distance from the bridge platform to the water is less than 20 feet.

Patch will provide updates as they become available.