Man dead after boat capsizes on Lake Erie, search suspended for other man

PERRY , Ohio (WJW) — Crews on Saturday evening suspended the search for a man who went missing after a boat capsized on Lake Erie that morning.

Three people were pulled from the water, one of whom was later pronounced dead.

A fourth person who was reportedly on the boat is still missing, according to a Saturday evening update from the U.S. Coast Guard . Rescue crews searched by air and sea for 10 hours in the water near Perry, covering 64 square miles, an area nearly the size of Cleveland, according to a later update .

“Suspending a search and rescue case is one of the most difficult decisions for us to make,” Capt. Mark Kuperman, commander of Coast Guard Sector Eastern Great Lakes, is quoted in the release. “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.”

A Coast Guard station in Buffalo, New York, received the “mayday” call just after 10:30 a.m., according to information provided by the Coast Guard.

A helicopter crew from the Detroit Coast Guard and a boat crew from Cleveland Harbor Coast Guard began to search, according to the release. The helicopter crew diverted to a different water rescue in Ashtabula — but later returned — while the Cleveland crew continued to search.

Just before 2 p.m., a local fire department’s rescue boat crew reportedly found coolers and other debris floating in the water about 1 to 2 nautical miles away from the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, which is near the lakeshore in Perry, Lake County .

The 23-foot boat was found capsized and partially submerged, according to the release. Divers with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office then searched the vessel. It’s currently unknown what caused the boat to overturn.

Cleveland Harbor rescuers found a man who was unresponsive. That man was later declared dead at a hospital, according to the update.

The helicopter crew, having returned from its rescue and refueling, located one person in the water wearing a life jacket, who was responsive. Another responsive person wearing a life jacket was rescued by the fire department’s boat crew. Those two people, a man and a woman, were still responsive on Saturday evening, officials said.

Responders were told there was a fourth person in the water who has not yet been found. It’s also unknown if the person is wearing a life jacket.

A Fairport Harbor Coast Guard crew was called in to assist the Detroit air crew and local fire department, according to the initial release. The Cleveland Harbor crew was released due to fatigue. The first Detroit air crew was later relieved by another air crew from the same station, according to the update.

Several other agencies were actively searching for the missing man on Saturday evening, including sheriff’s deputies and firefighters from Lake County and responders with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The incident was one of multiple water rescues on Lake Erie on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, two other people were rescued after their boat overturned about a half-mile off the coast in Sheffield Lake.

The Coast Guard helicopter crew diverted from the search for the missing boater to rescue five people from the water on Lake Erie near Ashtabula after their 22-foot boat was “swamped” by a wave.

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