(Reuters) - A man suffering stab wounds who said he was thrown into Philadelphia's Schuylkill River early on Wednesday after a robbery and kidnapping was found by police, who also recovered two bound and submerged bodies.
Police responding to a 911 call by someone who heard screaming found the 20-year-old man, who had managed to crawl out of the river, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The survivor told them that about five men abducted him early on Wednesday, forced him into the back of a van, bound and blindfolded him, stabbed him nine times, and robbed him.
He said he noticed two other men who had been duct-taped in the back of the van. They also appeared to have been stabbed, although it was unclear whether they were living or dead, he told police.
The assailants then dumped him in the river with the two others, using a makeshift anchor to sink them, he said.
The man was taken to nearby Hahnemann University Hospital for surgery. Officials said he was in stable condition.
Investigators said the two bodies were found submerged in 5 to 10 feet of water near the bank of the Schuylkill River.
Authorities have not released the victims' names. It was unclear if the victims knew each other or their assailants.
(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Peter Cooney)
