Crews continue search for missing kayaker

Rescue crews have been stalled in their search for missing kayaker Brian Bergkamp as they wait for water levels to drop.

Jim Wilson, the Wichita Fire Department battalion chief, said Monday morning that the Arkansas River is still too fast and too high to send any divers in to look for Bergkamp.

“It's too dangerous,” Wilson said.

Crews were by the 21st Street Bridge early Monday morning testing the current direction and strength to determine where the body might be. At this point, Wilson said, he suspects it is probably caught on debris along the riverbed.

“There's a lot of debris in the water, so that kind of dictates, if somebody’s in the water or if they got hung up, where they could possibly be,” Wilson said.

Crews will continue to keep an eye on the river for any new developments, but Wilson said it will likely take several days and a drop in water levels to find Bergkamp.

“It's just so hard when (the river is) … moving this fast,” he said.

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 8:17 AM with the headline "Crews continue search for missing kayaker."