A view from Matakina Bridge in Nago city, Okinawa, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)

NAGO CITY, Okinawa — A U.S. Marine died after falling from a bridge over a dam over the weekend in this northern Okinawa city, according to the Marine Corps, city fire department and prefectural police.

Lance Cpl. Blake Dominguez, 20, was found by Japanese divers and pronounced dead at 2:28 p.m. Saturday after an apparent accident at Haneji Dam in Nago, according to a news release Monday from the 3rd Marine Logistics Group.

Dominguez, of Fulton County, Ga., served as a combat engineer with 9th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Hansen. He reported to active duty on Nov. 10, 2022, according to the release.

“Team 9 mourns the loss of Lance Cpl. Dominguez,” battalion commander Lt. Col. Christopher Thrasher said in the release. “He was a fierce and dedicated Marine, whose warrior spirit lifted those around him. His absence is deeply felt by the entire battalion, but his legacy will continue to inspire us.”

Lance Cpl. Blake Dominguez, 20, was found by Japanese divers and pronounced dead Aug. 24, 2024, after an apparent accident at Haneji Dam in Nago, Okinawa. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Dominguez was on Matakina Bridge over Haneji Dam in the Taira district of Nago with five friends when the accident happened around 12:20 p.m. Saturday, a spokesman from the Nago Fire Department said by phone Monday. The department received an emergency call at 12:29 p.m. that a man fell from the bridge.

First responders arrived around 12:45 p.m. and recovered Dominguez’s body from 46 feet below the reservoir’s surface at 1:32 p.m.

Swimming is prohibited in the area around the bridge and dam. The bridge is about 85 feet above the water, the spokesman said.

Some government officials in Japan are required to speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

A view of Matakina Bridge in Nago city, Okinawa, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating the Marine’s death, the news release said. Chief Warrant Officer 2 William Faffler, a spokesman for the logistics group, declined to provide further details about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.