Indiana
Conservation Officers continued their search this morning for a Valparaiso
man whose canoe capsized Sunday morning on Long Lake.
The Department of
Natural Resources identified the man as Keegan Whaling, 20.
According to the
DNR, at 7 a.m. Whaling and a friend were canoeing approximately 150 yards
off the Long Lake shoreline when their boat capsized. Both men entered the
water and though Whaling’s companion succeeded in reaching shore and
summoning help from a nearby resident, Whaling was last seen in the water,
DNR said.
A search began
shortly after Whaling went missing, with Conservation Officers, the Porter
County Dive Team and the Valparaiso Police Department deploying rescue
divers, sonar, and drones, but as of Sunday evening Whaling remained
missing.
“The search has
been hindered by thick vegetation under the lake’s surface,” the DNR said.
“Indiana Conservation Officers will be utilizing a different type of sonar
device in an attempt to perform a more effective search.”
The search for
Whaling was suspended at 10 p.m. Sunday but resumed today at 8 a.m. with
boat-mounted sonar and divers on standby, the DNR said. Boaters were being
asked to avoid the area while the operation continues.
Assisting at the
scene were the Chesterton, Porter, and Portage fire departments and the
Porter County Sheriff’s Police.