A man died when a car crashed into the Potomac River Monday night near the Georgetown waterfront, officials said.

The body was found in a car in the river just before 11 p.m. at the bottom of Virginia Avenue NW, near Thompson Boat Center.

About 20 minutes after starting the rescue effort, the mission became a recovery as they discovered that the occupant had died.

Update vehicle in Potomac at Thompson’s boathouse. Sadly, this has now been declared a recovery rather than a rescue operation. #DCsBravest and @DCPoliceDept Harbor Division divers will continue efforts to recover 1 victim inside submerged vehicle. pic.twitter.com/AhlXi7zM4e — DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) February 4, 2020

Officials were able to remove the body from the car.

The identity of the person and the events that led to the car being submerged were unknown.

Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.