Troop missing after slipping into river

WASHINGTON, June 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. service member is missing after apparently slipping into a swollen Afghan river, U.S. Central Command reported Tuesday.

The service member was riding in the back of a Humvee Saturday with other members of his squad when the road gave way and the vehicle slid down the embankment. The other squad members escaped the vehicle. The missing service member is believed to have fallen into the Pech River.

U.S. Central Command said the river is running at 20 to 25 miles per hour and the water temperature is around 50 degrees.

"We are doing everything we can to find our missing comrade," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, a spokesperson for Combined Joint Task Force-76. "No effort is being spared in our attempts to find this individual. Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women conducting these rescue efforts and for the family of the missing individual."

The missing service member has not yet been publicly identified.