PORT HOPE TOWNSHIP, Minn. (KMSP) -
Officials and Good Samaritans sprang into action Monday night to pull four teenage duck hunters from the frigid waters of Three Island Lake after their boat capsized.
The four hunters were identified as:
- Chase Daniel Chamberlain, 19, of Forest Lake, Minn.
- Colin Kerry Johnson, 19, of Forest Lake, Minn.
- Hunter William Smith, 18, of Stacy, Minn.
- Mitchell James Kohler, 19, of Wyoming, Minn.
Officials say the boat was about 200 yards from the shoreline when it began to sink at about 6:40 p.m., leaving them floundering near their boat in 10 to 12 feet of water.
Witnesses at the scene said all four hunters had personal flotation devices, but had not been wearing them when their boat sank.
The hunters were near the Woodhaven Resort in Port Hope Township at the time, and resort owner Bernie Fennel and bystander Michael Steel immediately launched their own boat and went to help.
Rescuers from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Department, Bemidji Fire Department, Minnesota State Patrol, North County First Responders, Blackduck Ambulance and Bemidji Ambulance responded to help pull the men from the water and bring them to shore.
All four hunters were treated for exposure but are expected to make a full recovery.
