The bodies of two adult males recovered from the Potomac River on June 24 have been identified as the two Virginia swimmers who went missing near Old Angler's Inn on June 21.
Abdul Doraney, 22, and Asad Nabatzahi, 20, both of the 19400 block of Milldam Place in Leesburg, Va., jumped into the Potomac River along with four relatives on June 21, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Capt. Oscar Garcia.
"They were sunbathing and they got hot, and figured they would get into the water and cool off," Garcia said. "They ran into difficulty because of the strong current, and only four adults came out on the Maryland side."
Fire and Rescue officials responded after receiving reports from a hiker on the Billy Goat Trail that there were six men in the water near Purple Horse Beach yelling for help. According to a Montgomery County police statement, the hiker watched as four of the men swam to shore and two of the men were swept downstream. After learning that Nabatzahi and Doraney were missing, swift water rescue teams searched the Potomac as far south as the Key Bridge and continued their search through June 24.
That day, swift water rescue teams were searching the river shortly before noon when they received a call from a hiker reporting a body in the water. Garcia said the body, an adult male, was partially submerged in water near the Maryland chutes, just north of Old Angler's Inn. The body was turned over to Montgomery County police, Garcia said.
Just after 8 p.m. the same day, Fire and Rescue officials received a call from a group of kayakers reporting another body in the water about 400 yards north of the American Legion Bridge on the Maryland side of the river. Garcia said the body, which he described as face-up in shallow water, was also recovered and turned over to police.
Friday, Montgomery County police and Maryland State Medical Examiners Office identified Nabatzahi and Doraney using fingerprint analysis, according to the statement.
Because of the strong current, swimming in the Potomac River Gorge is prohibited. Officials are continuing an awareness campaign this season to encourage residents to practice basic safety techniques near the river, including wearing proper footwear when hiking, refraining from swimming in the Potomac River Gorge and wearing a personal flotation device at all times when on the river.