'All hands on deck.' Search underway on lake for missing FGCU student
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An unidentified FGCU student was missing Wednesday night after an incident involving a boat on a lake near the north end of the Fort Myers campus.
At 7 p.m. units responded to reports of the missing boater on Lake Como. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said the missing person is a male who is enrolled at the university. Lake Como is 80 acres and is adjacent to the North Village on the FGCU campus. It is shared between FGCU and the Miromar Lakes community.
LAKE'S HISTORY OF DEATH: One student, two children have drowned here since 2011
According to Marceno, who held a media briefing at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, the boat was a private vessel that departed from the Miromar Lakes side of Lake Como.
Divers were deployed, a helicopter flew above the lake and Jet-Skis were being used. FGCU Police Chief Jim Slapp also spoke at the briefing.
"There were 13 occupants on a boat with a capacity of 16,” Marceno said. “It's all hands on deck − all of our technology. When I say everybody, you can see every agency is represented. The water is dark. It’s murky. It’s night. It’s difficult terrain. The lake goes from 10 feet, to sometimes 20 to 30 feet very, very quickly.”
Fall semester classes at FGCU started on Aug. 14.
In an email to the FGCU students and faculty, the school's president Aysegul Timur said: "Our positive thoughts and wishes go out to his family, friends, classmates and all other Eagle family members as we wait for updated information on the search."
Aysegul Timur: FGCU president addresses search for missing student in email
Even a drone was seen in the air completing aerial searches.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the San Carlos Park Fire Department assisted with the search.
The investigation has been transferred to the Major Crimes Unit, Marceno said.
The missing boater’s friends gathered around the scene to show their support. They huddled together and waited for news. Other students noticed the commotion in passing.
“I was in my dorm about two hours ago. There were multiple cop cars, a helicopter and students exiting their dorms on the waterfront. I didn't really know what was going on until later on in the day when I got a text from one of my friends saying that apparently someone had drowned,” said student Peter Ramundo.
Slapp announced there will be walk-in counseling services at FGCU for students and faculty. More than 16,000 students are enrolled at the university.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time and everyone else who is affected,” Marceno said.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FGCU male student missing after boating incident on lake near campus
