SCANDIA, Minn. (WCCO) — Crews recovered a man’s body and are still working to find another’s after a boat capsized Friday afternoon on a popular central Minnesota lake.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says that deputies responded shortly after 2 p.m. to Big Marine Lake near Scandia, which is roughly 40 miles northeast of Minneapolis. A caller told officials that they saw boaters in distress on the north side of the lake.
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Witnesses reported said they saw two men lose control of a boat shortly after departing the landing. The boat overturned and the men were thrown into the cold water.
Bystanders heard the men calling for help and attempted to save them. However, the good Samaritans could not find them.
A dive team, a water recovery team, state troopers and DNR officers responded to the lake to help in the search, which after an hour turned into a recovery operation.
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Shortly after 7 p.m., crews found the body of one of the men. Teams are still working to find the other missing man.
The names of the men have yet to be released pending the notification of family.
Authorities say this time of year is particularly deadly for boat accidents because the water is so cold. The temperature of the water in Big Marine Lake on Friday was roughly 45 degrees.
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This is a developing story. Check back for more.
