MI Boy, Teen Drown In Lake Michigan, 23 Total Drownings So Far In 2022: Report

MICHIGAN — So far at least 23 people have drowned in Lake Michigan this year, including two people on Wednesday, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.

Van Buren County Officials said the first drowning happened Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. at North Beach in South Haven, when a young boy, aged 7 or 8, washed up to shore, according to a report from WOOD-TV. Officials said he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Officials said a 33-year-old man jumped into the lake to try to save the young boy, but officials believe he also drowned in Lake Michigan, the report said.

Dive teams were still searching for the man Thursday morning, as officials told the public to stay away from the beach, the report said.

Another teenager drowned Wednesday in Lake Michigan at North Beach Park in Ferrysburg, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said.

Officials said a 16-year-old from Norton Shores was swimming with a church group when the lake's waves pushed out of the designated swimming area around 7:50 p.m. Officials later found his body.

Wednesday's drownings come as a 9-year-old girl was pulled from Lake Michigan near a beach in Gary, Indiana on Tuesday afternoon. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died, officials said.

Cofounder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project Dave Benjamin told 5Chicago that swimmers need to be more aware of their surroundings when swimming in Lake Michigan.

"Use extreme caution, follow the beach flags, swim near a lifeguard, take a flotation device with you if you're going to go by the lakefront or even just getting your toes in the water," Benjamin told the outlet. "Young kids and non-swimmers should be wearing a U.S. coast guard approved life jacket. Flotation is the key to surviving a drowning incident."