Search underway for missing boy in Lake Erie | News

CONNEAUT — A massive search was underway Friday afternoon at Conneaut Township Park after a 10-year-old boy was reported missing in Lake Erie, Conneaut Deputy Fire Chief Steve Sanford said.

Sanford said the call came in at 1:25 p.m. about the boy underwater. Emergency crews arrived on scene and rescuers immediately attempted to enter the water, but were bounced around by the waves.

“We’re an hour away, so it’s now a recovery operation,” Sanford said.

Divers from the Conneaut Fire Department and the Ashtabula County Water Rescue Team used a rope to walk and swim along the shoreline in search of the boy.

Divers were tossed around by the big waves, Sanford said. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from Erie, Pennsylvania, arrived on scene at 3 p.m. and a U.S. coastal vessel arrived from Fairport Station at 3:08 p.m. An Ohio Department of Natural Resources boat was expected later in the afternoon.

The parking lot atop the bluffs at Conneaut Township Park was filled with people watching the search.

The water rescue team includes fire departments from across the county who have equipment to assist with search and rescue operations.

A Wayne Township all-terrain vehicle was used to transport equipment to the site while rescuers with binoculars stood atop a fire truck to try to locate the boy.

Sanford said a person on the beach tried to find and rescue the boy after realizing he was not on the beach, but was unsuccessful.