SOUTH HAVEN, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – After Lake Michigan conditions deteriorated rapidly late Wednesday, at least three people drowned and a fourth is missing.
The first drowning happened around 7:30 p.m. at North Beach in South Haven. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office says two adults and three kids were struggling in the water. They were able to get two adults and one kid out of the water.
A 7-year-old boy from Texas washed up on shore. CPR was administered and he was brought to the hospital, but he died.
The South Haven Police Department says a 33-year-old man from Ohio had tried saving the boy. The man is presumed to have drowned.
Late Wednesday evening the water was too rough for first responders to have boats out. They will resume their search Thursday morning. The public is asked to stay away from the beach.
According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, at North Beach Park in Ferrysburg, a teenager started struggling in the water around 7:50 p.m. Wednesday. It said the 16-year-old from Norton Shores was at the beach with a church group. Deputies say while swimming, water conditions pushed him out of the designated swimming area.
Beachgoers tried to save him but were not able to reach him before he went under. Multiple agencies, including the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office dive team and the Coast Guard, were on scene looking for him. First responders recovered his body.
Deputies say life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and the teenager died.
The Grand Haven Tribune is also reporting that a 60-year-old man drowned Wednesday. The newspaper says he drowned in the Grand River channel and deputies recovered his body.
