3 boaters rescued

KELLEYS ISLAND — Three southern Ohio men are alive after being rescued from Lake Erie on Tuesday. At about 6:30 p.m., Kelleys Island first responders were called to the Newman ferry dock in the 500 block of W. Lakeshore Drive for the report of people yelling for help. Kelleys Island police, fire and EMS arrived to find a boat that was capsized about 150 yards off the shore, according to Kelleys Island police Chief James Bartus. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard were able to pluck the men from the boat. They were transported to Firelands Regional Medical Center for treatment. The men told rescuers that a third man was with them and unaccounted for. Before an effort to find the third man started, a powerful storm swept into the area rain and high winds. The man was eventually located halfway between Kelleys Island and Marblehead, according to Bartus. He had treaded water for four to four-and-a-half hours. The third man was taken to Magruder Hospital. Bartus credited the three men being alive tonight to the combined efforts of Kelleys Island safety forces, the Coast Guard, Tow Boat US and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "We're just glad to help and save some lives," Petty Officer 1st Class Ashlyn Schmidt, coxswain, Station Marblehead, said. "Make sure when you go on the water to wear a life jacket, it could save your life." The three men, who departed from the Mazurik Access on the mainland, were on the lake to fish.