Crews Searching For 2 Bodies After Boat Overturns On Big Marine Lake

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Minnesota (WCCO) -- Crews are looking to recover the bodies of two men after a boat overturned Friday on a popular central Minnesota lake.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says that deputies responded shortly after 2 p.m. to Big Marine Lake near Scandia, which is roughly 40 miles northeast of Minneapolis. A bystander told officials that they saw a boat overturn and two men fall into the water.

Bystanders used their own boats in an attempted to help the two men, but were unsuccessful. After roughly an hour of searching, rescue crews transitioned to looking for the bodies. As of Friday evening, drivers were taking turns searching the lake, which is as deep as 60 feet in some areas.

Authorities say this time of year is particularly deadly for boat accidents because the water is still cold. The temperature of the water in Big Marine Lake on Friday was roughly 40 degrees.