Two men are presently unaccounted for after a boating incident on Lake Michigan near Whiting, Indiana. According to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times, the men were part of a group of 12 on a boat when one of them jumped in the water to swim but started to face difficulties in the water due to windy conditions and 2-to-5-foot waves.
A second man jumped in, attempting to hastily rescue his struggling companion, with neither man wearing a life jacket. Indiana Conservation Officer Alex Neel detailed how a third man, donning a life jacket, entered the treacherous water to aid the others but ultimately failed to reach them, becoming separated from the boat himself. Later, the U.S. Coast Guard resumed to safely retrieve the man in the life jacket approximately two miles off the shoreline. He was subsequently taken to a hospital and released.
Efforts to locate the other two men continued into the evening but were suspended around 10 p.m. due to challenging lake conditions. Officials suspended their search about 10 p.m. Friday and resumed Saturday morning, Neel said in a statement obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. The search operations are due to resume as conditions permit.
CBS News Chicago further reported that police received a distress call at approximately 2:40 p.m., and upon arrival found a boat about a mile-and-a-half off the shoreline, alongside a small powerboat, damaged near the mouth of the Indiana Harbor near the Inland Steel plant. Alex Neel stated that there was no suspicion of foul play nor were any citations issued in connection with the incident. The identities of the missing men, one from Elk Grove Village and the other from Mount Prospect, have not been released to the public in the immediate wake of the event.
