A water rescue operation in Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park ended in a tragic death over the weekend. However, those who needed help were not those who lost their lives.
A park ranger responded to a call for help from a boat on Namakan Lake late on the morning of Oct. 6, according to the National Park Service. The lake is located on the US-Canada border and was reportedly experiencing high wind speeds and harsh conditions. The water that day, the waves were between five and six feet. As a result, the private ship ran aground on an island.
As the officer arrived on scene and began pulling the visitors' boat to shore, the NPS vessel suddenly capsized, throwing the ranger and three rescued boaters into the water. The visitors, a father and his two sons, were able to swim to safety, but the ranger did not make it out alive.
Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said: Minnesota Stars Tribune The ranger had experience and was close to retirement. After a three-hour search, the officer's body was recovered from the lake around 3.20 pm local time.
“One of the rangers who was there said he'd never seen conditions as wild as the winds were earlier today,” Ramsay said. he said.
While the investigation into the incident continues, the name of the deceased guard has not been disclosed yet.