Ron Brackett
A search Monday found the body of an Iowa State University student missing since the crew club boat he was in capsized Sunday morning. Another student's body was located Sunday, and three other crew members made it to shore.
The five members of the rowing club were training on Little Wall Lake, about 15 miles north of Ames, Iowa, on Sunday morning when their boat capsized, according to a news release from the university.
Three of the students were rescued, and divers recovered the body of a fourth student, the Iowa State Daily reported.
The search for the fifth person continued until 9 p.m. Sunday, the Des Moines Register reported. It resumed Monday morning. Investigators found the body on a side of the lake using sonar technology, WOI-TV reported.
The body was recovered about 9:45 a.m., before strong winds caused weather conditions to deteriorate, the Iowa State Daily reported. Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Timmons said choppy waters and cold water temperatures would have made it more dangerous for divers.
The names of the students have not been released.
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Timmons told the ISD his office received a 911 call at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Several people who live around the lake helped rescue some of the students, he said.
"We've also had several heroes that live in the buildings out here, came out and help the individuals," Timmons said. "This could have been a lot worse than what it is, what it's going to be."
Roger Fritz lives on the lake's west side. He said in a tweet that he saw one person swim to the south shore and one to the north. Another person was rescued by someone in a kayak, he said.
"My guess is the water is about 40 degrees," Fritz tweeted. Emergency scanners mentioned patients with hypothermia.
Scott Grummer, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the water temperature was 39 to 42 degrees near the shore.
The air temperature at 8:30 a.m. at the Ames Municipal Airport was 37 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The wind chill was 27 degrees, and the winds were blowing out of the northwest at 20 mph with gusts up to 29 mph, the NWS said.
The lake was still frozen over about two weeks ago, Fritz said in a Facebook Live video stream.
Sheriff Timmons said "the lake was pretty rough."
"I’m guessing they probably got swamped in some heavier waves," Fritz said. "Those crew boats are really shallow."
Little Wall Lake covers 249 acres, according to the Department of Natural Resources. It's 13.2 feet at its deepest point.
“The Iowa State community is heartbroken to learn of this tragic accident at Little Wall Lake," Wendy Wintersteen, the university president, said in a statement. "At this time, we are focused on providing support to club members, their families and friends. We ask that everyone keep them in their thoughts during this very difficult time."
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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