Man Drowns While Swimming in Mississippi River

Authorities say a Cape Girardeau man has drowned while swimming to a dike in the Mississippi River.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the victim as 30-year-old Ronald O. Silavent of Cape Girardeau. The patrol says the drowning happened Wednesday afternoon in the Trail of Tears State Park in southeast Missouri.

He was pronounced dead at the scene several hours after slipping under the surface of the water.