MILWAUKEE — The bodies of a 10-year-old boy and two adult men have been found after the three were swept away in a drainage ditch due to severe weather Monday evening.

What You Need To Know

  • The bodies of three missing people have been recovered after being swept away in a drainage ditch due to severe weather, officials confirmed Thursday

  • The first body, a 10-year-old boy, was recovered Tuesday and the bodies of the other two, his father and a family friend, were located Thursday

  • Family members said the child’s father and a family friend followed the boy into the drainage ditch to rescue him

  • Firefighters focused their search on three connected tunnels that carry water to the Kinnickinnic River

The boy's body was found Tuesday afternoon and local officials confirmed they found the remaining two bodies on Thursday.

The search began Monday after the child and two men, 34 and 37, were swept away following severe thunderstorms that brought heavy rain and damaging winds. Family members said the child’s father and a family friend followed the boy into the drainage ditch to rescue him. Witnesses said the men and the child were swept into a tunnel that runs under a road.

A family spokesperson identified the child as Mouhammad Arman Rashidullah. He had just finished fifth grade at a Milwaukee elementary school.

Mouhammad Arman Rashidullah, the 10-year-old whose body was found in a drainage tunnel; photo courtesy of Mouhammad Arman Rashidullah's family.

“He saw the water, tried to play in the water there," Yahya Dildar, a family spokesperson, said. "The water came up and hit the kid; when the father saw the kid go in, the father tried to help them and the father hit the water.”

His body was recovered in the area of 16th St and Cleveland Ave., in the Kinnickinnic River, about 11 blocks east of where he was swept into the water. The boy’s body was found by a citizen who assisted in the search.

The bodies of his father and family friend were also found in the Kinnickinnic River.

The family, Dildar said, the family is part of the Rohingya community. The family moved here from Maynmar four years ago and said they are leaning on their community during this time.

“We come together, we have the worship group. We come together to provide information," Dildar said.

Firefighters focused their search Tuesday on three connected tunnels that carry water to the Kinnickinnic River. Search crews did not enter the tunnels Monday night because of dangerous conditions and instead sent a drone inside in an attempt to locate the three, officials said.

“This is a horrible day but not ever as horrible as it is for the family. I’d ask that you respect their sorrow and privacy because this has got to be the worst news," Aaron Lipski, Milwaukee's fire chief, said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.