Buhl man drowns while trying to rescue dog

A man died after he was pulled from the water at a popular swimming area in Buhl Saturday evening.

Gary Paternoster, 56, of Buhl had tried to rescue his dog that was apparently stuck on an object in the Buhl pit, a water-filled mining pit. Around 6 p.m. Saturday, St. Louis county sheriff's deputies responded to calls of a man under water.

The sheriff's office said a witness reported that Paternoster swam out to help his dog, but sank beneath the water before he could reach the dog. He was recovered a couple of hours later and rescuers said he still had a pulse. Paternoster later died at a hospital in Hibbing.

The incident remains under investigation at this time.

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