Search for woman becomes recovery effort
An emergency rescue effort for a woman missing in Lake Erie was turned into a recovery effort Monday by the Ontario Provincial Police.
A holiday weekend boating outing being enjoyed by two couples turned tragic Sunday when one of the women — said by police to be 56 years old and a Michigan resident — entered the water to swim and failed to return.
The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. near Oxley on Lake Erie about one kilometre off shore from the Colchester Harbour marina.
The boaters onboard made a distress call to Essex OPP after the woman disappeared into the water.
“A group of boaters on a 23-foot Boston Whaler made the call,” said Const. Jim Root of Essex OPP. “Our information is two went swimming and one failed to come back into the boat.”
Conditions were sunny, clear and the water was calm at the time when the incident occurred, despite occasional rain showers throughout the day across Essex County.
Emergency response from U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard, Ontario Provincial Police, as well as Essex and Kingsville fire crews were quickly on the scene to launch a search-and-rescue effort.
The search continued until darkness without success and resumed early Monday morning, but was officially changed to a recovery effort by police, Root said.
OPP’s underwater search-andrescue team arrived on the scene Monday to assist in the effort.
Root said it was for “unknown reasons” the woman began to struggle while swimming in the water before going under.
The location of the tragedy and search was described by Root as being just over a kilometre off shore from the marina and about one kilometre to the east.
“We will continue to search to make a recovery,” he said.
“It is just OPP working now on the recovery effort.”
Shortly after the incident, two middle-aged men and a woman — presumed to be the other occupants in the boat — could be seen on shore receiving medical treatment at the marina where police had set up a command centre.
The two men and the woman appeared very distraught while being tended to by Essex-Windsor EMS workers.
A handful of other friends and family slowly appeared Sunday evening at the marina to comfort the group.