The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a man after crews responded to a mayday call from a fishing boat on Lake Erie Saturday morning.
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According to the Coast Guard, the mayday call came in just after 10:30 a.m. for a boat in distress off the coast from the Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Lake County.
The Coast Guard and local fire department crews responded and pulled three people from the water, one of whom was unresponsive and later pronounced dead; that person's name hasn't been released. The other two, a man and a woman, were taken to separate hospitals for treatment.
As of Saturday evening, one other person remains unaccounted for. Divers were called in and located the capsized 23-foot-long boat.
The search was suspended after 10 hours, and around 64 square miles of water searched.
“Suspending a search and rescue case is one of the most difficult decisions for us to make. Our crews - in conjunction with our Ohio state and local partners - conducted an exhaustive search for the missing individual and we are greatly appreciative of the immense effort by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the northeast Ohio community of first responders to attempt to return the individual safely to their family. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of those involved in this tragic incident,” said Capt. Mark Kuperman, commander of Coast Guard Sector Eastern Great Lakes.
The following agencies assisted in the search for the missing man:
- Coast Guard Air Station Detroit
- Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor
- Coast Guard Station Fairport
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Lake County Fire Department
- Lake County Sheriff’s Office
- Perry Fire Department
- Lake County Police Department
- Lake County Dive Team
- Perry Police Department
- Mentor Fire Department
- Painesville Fire Department
- Perry Fire Rescue
Earlier in the day, in a separate incident, the Coast Guard rescued five other people in a boat near Ashtabula that was swamped with water from a wave.
