COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) – The search continues for a man who went missing Wednesday morning in Lake Champlain.
Colchester Police say search crews responded to the Malletts Bay boat launch around 9:45 a.m. after a man in his 30s wasn’t able to make it back to his inflatable raft. Officials say he was swimming with his children and using the raft. They say one of the kids went into distress and the man jumped in to help his child back to the raft but that he was not able to make it back on.
Colchester Police Chief Peter Hull says conditions on the lake are rough. “We’re continuing to search. It’s a surface search with sonar. The wind is pretty heavy so the lake is pretty heavy, so the lake is pretty rough. It’s hindering things a little bit. We’re continuing to search and will continue to search as long as the weather allows it and up until at least dark,” he said.
The chief says if they’re unable to make any progress, the search will resume Thursday morning.
Hull also warns boaters if they are heading out on the lake to be mindful of potentially strong winds.