Humboldt County sheriff's officers were patrolling the Trinity River by boat on Monday looking for a Humboldt State foreign exchange student who was swept away Sunday afternoon.

The student, 21-year-old Jian Kang from Renqiu, China, was wading in the Trinity River across from Tish Tang Creek Campground in Hoopa around 4:30 p.m. when he slipped and fell into the fast-moving water, according to the sheriff's office.

Search and rescue teams were mobilized soon after Kang disappeared, but found no sign of him on Sunday. The search resumed Monday by boat and helicopter, and is expected to continue until the light fades, said Lt. Steve Knight. Given the amount of time that has passed, Knight said, hopes of finding the young biology student alive have grown dimmer.

"Unfortunately that river has taken a lot of lives over the years," Knight said.

Kang has been at Humboldt state for the past two years, and the university has been in touch with his family and will provide lodging for them when they arrive, the university said in a press release.