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MINNEAPOLIS — Crews recovered the body of a 6-year-old from the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis on Monday, ending a search that began Saturday.

The boy’s body was recovered at about 11 a.m., the Hennepin County sheriff’s office said. He was found near the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, about a half-mile from where he went under. Crews had been searching since the boy was reported missing Saturday evening at Boom Island Park.

“This has been an extremely difficult few days,” Sheriff Dave Hutchinson said in a statement. “Water Patrol has been working tirelessly and the family has been at the scene the entire time. For them, this heartbreaking story is far from over, but we hope that the recovery of the child’s body can be a first step towards healing.”

Authorities previously said the child was part of a group of five children who went to the park to ride bikes. Two adults were supervising the group when some of the kids decided to go wading in an area with a steep drop-off and strong currents. After three children went too far in and began to struggle, one adult was able to pull two of them out, but the 6-year-old went under.

The child’s name and the cause of death were not immediately released.