Authorities recovered the body of a woman from the flood-swollen Mississippi River after it was spotted Friday morning in St. Paul. It was later recovered from the fast-moving water some 7 miles downstream near the Wakota Bridge between South St. Paul and Newport.

According to the Ramsey County sheriff’s office, the woman’s body was first spotted at about 10:15 a.m. near the Wabasha Street Bridge in downtown St. Paul. St. Paul police officers saw the body floating in the rapidly moving current, said Mike Servatka, commander of the sheriff’s water patrol division.

However, officers then lost sight of the body near the U.S. 52 bridge. Because of river conditions, Ramsey County asked for help from Dakota County to search downstream.

Authorities from both counties, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department located and recovered the body near the Wakota Bridge, which carries Interstate 494 across the river.

The Ramsey County medical examiner’s office will work to identify the woman and establish a cause of death. No further information was available Friday night.

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