Drones, dogs and underwater sonar were being used on Tuesday in the search for two men who jumped off a boat Monday night into Connecticut’s Candlewood Lake and never returned.
Police said they received a call at 10:30 p.m. Monday that two men, ages 38 and 26, had leaped into the water between 10:15 and 10:30 and had not come back. They were part of a group of five people who had spent the day on the boat, a spokesperson for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection told the Hartford Courant.
“The others on the boat noticed their absence and called 911, initiating a search and rescue operation,” the spokesperson said.
Dive teams from Danbury and Brookfield, Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue and Middlebury’s Region Five Dive Team also assisted, the Courant reported.
“This is a tragedy,” Danbury Fire Chief Richard Thode told News12 Connecticut.
The search was suspended at around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday and resumed in the morning in the area of City Island, near where the men jumped in.
“Because we had some witnesses, we know generalized where to look,” Thode said.
The Danbury boat launch and Candlewood Town Park were closed Tuesday morning, as authorities asked boaters to avoid the area to keep it clear for searchers.
Family members of the missing men watched the search from shore, WTNH-TV reported.
The search was suspended again Tuesday night at around 7 p.m. and will resume Wednesday morning.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CDEEP) said summer invariably brings water-safety concerns to the fore.
“This has been a big issue this year as well as every other year,” the department’s James Fowler told News 12. “Water safety is important. Knowing your surroundings is important. Knowing your capabilities is important. And any other factor that may contribute to your not being at the top of your ability while you’re in the water is important as well.”
