Members of the Winnipeg police river patrol unit search the Red River near the Queen Elizabeth Way Bridge on Friday. (CBC)

Winnipeg police recovered a body from the Red River on Monday afternoon but have not yet identified the person.

Police spokesperson Const. Jason Michalyshyn said the body could be that of a 26-year-old man who was swept away by the current after wading in to save a friend on Friday, but further investigation must be done.

According to police, a 30-year-old man jumped into the river in the area of the Queen Elizabeth Way Bridge to cool off, but quickly became distressed due to the strong river currents. His 26-year-old friend waded into the river in an attempt to assist but was quickly pulled away by the currents.

The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Passersby called emergency crews, but the 30-year-old was able to pull himself up onto a concrete platform and save himself before they arrived. He was not injured.

Members of the Winnipeg police river patrol unit and the fire department water rescue unit searched the river for the missing man but were unsuccessful in locating him.

On Monday at around 12:30 p.m., emergency crews were called to an area near the Provencher Bridge, downstream from the Queen Elizabeth Way Bridge, where they pulled a man's body out of the water.

The public is being warned by emergency officials to stay out of the river because water levels are abnormally high and the current fast. The river is swollen by heavy rains last week and a deluge south of the border. The Red River, which flows from the U.S. into Manitoba, is about three metres above its normal level, police said.

Last week, all public boat launches were closed and barricaded.

"It is very dangerous right now," Const. Jacquie Chaput said Monday. "We don't recommend anyone go in the river, even boaters. There's a lot of debris floating around [and] it's floating very quickly because of the swift current levels. We're hoping that people take that into account and take their own personal safety into account."