EAGLE HARBOR, Mich. (WJMN) – Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office responded on Sunday afternoon to reports of a person struggling while canoeing near Eagle Harbor. Officers were dispatched at about 2:40 p.m. on Sunday, June 19, after receiving word of a canoer that looked like he was having difficulty getting back into the harbor while out past the harbor’s bell buoy.
The sheriff’s office says that moments later it was reported that the canoe had sunk and the subject was in distress. Eagle Harbor Fire and Medical first responders were first on scene and began to search the area around the bell buoy with the aid of citizens and two private boats. However, the searchers were forced to return to the dock due to stormy conditions.
The sheriff’s office continued to search aboard rescue personal watercraft along with a person spotting in the Eagle Harbor Light House and a private boat with a deputy on board. The canoer was located and transported back to the Eagle Harbor Marina where first responders provided medical attention until Mercy Ambulance arrived.
The subject was then transported to Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital where he is being treated for severe hypothermia and water intake.