Multi-Agency Search Underway After Boat Capsizes 10 Miles Off Conneaut Harbor

Conneaut, OH – This morning at approximately 11:00 AM, crews from Conneaut Fire and Rescue, Saybrook Water Rescue, Ashtabula City Fire, Lake City Fire Company, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Coast Guard were dispatched for a reported capsized boat approximately 10 miles offshore from Conneaut Harbor, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line.

Initially, two individuals were rescued by a Good Samaritan fishing boat that was in the vicinity. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene, followed by additional local agencies. The Conneaut Police boat and Lake City Fire Company’s Boat 578 responded toward coordinates that had been relayed to rescue crews.

As crews arrived in the general vicinity, they requested that the Coast Guard fire a flare to help guide responding boats to the location of the overturned vessel. Once on scene, crews confirmed that two individuals had been rescued by the Good Samaritan vessel, while one individual remained missing.

Divers from Conneaut entered the water and searched the hull and surrounding area of the overturned boat. A rescue swimmer from Lake City assisted Conneaut divers with operations in the water. The vessel was thoroughly searched, but no additional victims were located.

Search operations then expanded into the surrounding waters. The Coast Guard began conducting grid searches while local agencies assisted with the search. The two survivors were transported back to shore, where they were transferred to awaiting emergency medical services personnel.

Search efforts for the remaining missing individual continued for an extended period. Eventually, local crews returned to the Conneaut Public Dock, where all rescue personnel were accounted for. The U.S. Coast Guard continued search operations using water-based assets as well as a Coast Guard helicopter.

No further information regarding the missing individual is currently available.