CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the final missing person in Lake Erie, near the Perry Power Plant.
They had received a mayday call at 10:34 a.m. Saturday.
Helicopter and boat crews were dispatched, according to a release from Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Yaw. Later that afternoon, an update brought crews closer to a rescue.
“At 1:46 pm, watchstanders at Sector Eastern Great Lakes were notified by a local fire rescue boat crew that they had come across coolers and other debris floating in the water 1-2 nautical miles off the Perry Power Plant,” the release reads.
Eventually, teams were able to rescue two responsive individuals who were wearing life jackets. They also recovered a third, unresponsive individual. That individual was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the release.
In an updated release, the Coast Guard confirmed they have now suspended the search for a fourth individual.
“Suspending a search and rescue case is one of the most difficult decisions for us to make," said Capt. Mark Kuperman, commander of Coast Guard Sector Eastern Great Lakes, 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."
The air crew involved with the search was temporarily diverted at 11:34 a.m. to assist with another rescue on the lake Saturday.
According to Yaw, Sector Eastern Great Lakes received a 911 relay call from Ashtabula County Emergency Management. Five people were apparently in the water around eight to 10 miles off Ashtabula, all holding onto a cooler.
They had been walleye fishing in a 22-foot boat, when a wave took it out. Fortunately, all were wearing life jackets.
Rescuers were able to make a phone call to these individuals in order to zero in on their location, sending a helicopter directly to their signal. The helicopter loaded them aboard and took them to the Northeast Ohio Regional Airport without any injuries.
“Kudos to the air crew, because… it’s our smallest helicopter that we have, and between the folks we rescued and the air crew, that put nine total people on that helicopter, which is quite a lot,” Yaw said. “So it was probably a very cramped cabin, but cramped or not, we’re glad we were able to rescue them and get them back to shore safely.”