2 college students die when boat capsizes during crew club practice, Iowa officials say
Two college students are dead after a crew club accident in Central Iowa, officials say.
Five members of the Iowa State University crew club were practicing Sunday at a lake in Hamilton County when their boat capsized, according to the university. Three of the students were rescued and released from a local hospital.
A diving team recovered the body of one student Sunday and the search was called off for the fifth student at 8 p.m., according to the university. The body of the final student was recovered Monday morning.
An advanced sonar imaging system was used by firefighters to find the second body, the Ames Tribune reported.
The names of the students involved in the accident have not been publicly disclosed.
“The Iowa State community is heartbroken to learn of this tragic accident at Little Wall Lake,” Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen said. “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.”
A man, identified by news outlets as an eyewitness, described in a tweet Sunday afternoon how the three students made it safely to land.
“One person swam to south shore, one person to north shore, one person rescued via a kayak,” Roger Fritz said. “One man and one woman were among the recovered, suffering from hypothermia. My guess is the water is about 40 degrees.”
The lake was frozen over three weeks ago, Fritz told WHO13.
There were 20 to 25 mph winds at the time of the accident “and the lake was pretty rough,” Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Timmons said in a news briefing posted by KCCI.
“We’ve had several heroes that live in the buildings out here that have came out and helped the individuals,” Timmons said.
The crew club is a recognized student organization at Iowa State and was established in 2002, according to its website.
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