A 19-year-old Whitehorse man drowned Thursday evening after jumping into the Yukon River to try to rescue his dog.

At about 6:30 p.m., a woman called police saying her friend, Nicholas Close-Silverfox, had gone into the Yukon River to rescue his dog but had been pulled under by the current and had not resurfaced.

The caller said she was on the Riverdale side of the Millennium Trail, below the new apartment complex on Selkirk Street.

"The water is high and the water is fast,” said RCMP Const. Christine Grant, adding that the appearance of the water may be deceiving at first.

Environment Yukon's Ric Janowicz estimates the water can move between one and 1.5 metres per second.

A member of the RCMP who arrived on scene put on a personal floatation device and went into the water where Close-Silverfox disappeared.

He was able to pull the man out of the water with the assistance of a second officer, Grant said.

Once on shore, the pair began performing CPR.

An ambulance took the man to Whitehorse General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The dog survived, Grant said.

The animal was able to get out of the water on its own and stood with bystanders at the side of the river while the man was being brought ashore.