A 23-year-old farm worker drowned in a pond in southern Decatur County on Thursday evening, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The tragic incident happened at about 7 p.m. in a pond of Florida State Line Road, which is off Georgia Highway 302 South at the border between the two states.

The victim was identified as 23-year-old Jose Daniel Vera, who was employed at a local farm, according to Sheriff Wiley Griffin.

Vera and another man were fishing out of a canoe when it capsized. The other man swam to shore, but Vera was unable to swim to safety, Sheriff Griffin said.

Members of the Sheriff’s Office rescue squad and Georgia Department of Natural Resources law enforcement rangers searched the pond until late Thursday night.

The search resumed Friday morning, when Capt. Greg McMillan and Deputy Chris Sapp recovered Vera’s body, Griffin said.

DNR rangers who assisted in the search were Jase Heard and Sgt. Rick Sellars.