3 Missing Kayakers Found Alive After Spending Hours In Great Salt Lake
Sep 20, 2019, 6:01 AM | Updated: 11:38 am
Two kayakers were rescued from the Great Salt Lake on Sept. 20, 2019 after hitting rough weather the day before.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Three kayakers who went missing out of Davis County on Thursday have been found, officials said.
The the three men, all in their 20s, set out on the Great Salt Lake with plans to go from Antelope Island to Stansbury Island. At approximately 3 p.m., the kayakers encountered bad weather, which forced them to head back toward the island from which they left.
Officials said none of the men were wearing life jackets.
They became separated by increasingly unstable waters, officials said. At 7:30 p.m., one of the kayakers was able to make it safely to Antelope Island where he called for help.
AMAZING! Check out this footage, released by the Utah National Guard, of the rescue of one of the kayakers who went missing on the Great Salt Lake yesterday! pic.twitter.com/Rk49V44EXh
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) September 20, 2019
Rescue crews responded and located one of the men in the water shortly after midnight. They found the third kayaker at approximately 1:30 a.m., also in the water. The men reportedly encounter waves as high as 7 feet tall at times.
Authorities said the two were responsive. All three men were transported to an area hospital.
“After being out missing in the water for that long in less than favorable weather conditions, that is just the best news that we could hope for in a situation like this,” said Devan Chavez, assistant public information officer for Utah Parks and Recreation.
