Coast Guard Joins Hunt for Missing Boater After 48-Hour Search
Vermont authorities expanded the search on Monday after a Burlington man failed to resurface from Kingsland Bay on Saturday.
By Adrian Kovalenko ·
U.S. Border Patrol aircraft joined ground and water teams on Monday to locate a 48-year-old Burlington man who disappeared from Lake Champlain.
Vermont State Police confirmed the search would continue through the day after two days of unsuccessful efforts. The man fell from a small fishing vessel into Kingsland Bay near Ferrisburgh around 4 p.m. on Saturday.
A companion on the boat stated the man was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident. The companion attempted to locate him immediately, but the man did not resurface.
Emergency response teams included members of the Vermont State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Ferrisburgh Fire Department. Wardens from the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife also assisted in the initial response. The Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team and the Bureau of Criminal Investigations conducted searches on Sunday without finding the man.
The Vermont State Police Victim Services Unit is assisting with the case. State police indicated there are no signs the disappearance is suspicious. The man's name remains withheld pending notification of relatives.
Authorities urge anyone with information to call the New Haven Barracks at 802-388-4919. The Vermont Department of Health has a cold water life jacket law in effect until May 1, requiring passengers and operators on open decks of motorboats, sailboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats to wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
