National Park Ranger Dies in Water Rescue

A water rescue in Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park resulted in a tragic death over the weekend. But the ones needing help weren't who lost their lives. 

According to a National Park Service statement, a park ranger responded to a call for help from a boat on Namakan Lake in the late morning on Oct. 6. The lake sits on the U.S.–Canada border and was reportedly experiencing high wind speeds and rough waters that day, with waves reaching between five and six feet. As a result, the private vessel was blown ashore onto an island. 

The officer arrived on the scene and began towing the visitors' boat to shore when the NPS vessel suddenly capsized, throwing the ranger and the three boaters being rescued into the water. The visitors, a father and his two sons, were able to swim to safety but the ranger didn't make it out alive. 

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told The Minnesota Star Tribune that the ranger had experience and was close to retirement. A three-hour search resulted in the officer's body being recovered from the lake at approximately 3:20 p.m. local time. 

"One of the rangers that was out there said he has never seen conditions as wild as they were earlier today with the winds," Ramsay said.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the deceased ranger's name has yet to be released.