Father, 3 Children Die In Kayaking Accident: Report

WISCONSIN -- A Wisconsin man and his three children have died after their kayak capsized on Lake Superior, according to authorities.

Eric Fryman, 39, and his three children, Kyra, 9, Annaliese, 5, and Jansen, 5, were on board an open-top tandem Kayak, traversing open water from Madeline Island toward Michigan Island, when it capsized due to high winds, according to a CBS News report.

Cari Mews, 29, was also on board that kayak, according to reports. She survived. According to Coast Guard officials, all family members were wearing their life jackets. Hypothermia was a major factor in their death, officials said.

According to an Ashland County Sheriff's Office report, authorities received a call from a woman who reported that her sister, Mews, was vacationing on Madeline Island with her husband and three children when Mews sent her two texts reading "911" and "Michigan Island" on Aug. 30 just before 8:30 p.m.

According to the report, multiple rescue agencies including the Coast Guard, Wisconsin DNR, Bayfield Fire and Rescue, the National Park Service all responded to the scene. Oncoming thunderstorms hampered the search and rescue effort. Sheriff's officials said they found Mews alive in the water on the west side of Michigan Island just after 10 p.m. that evening.

Sheriff's officials said that the father and two of the children were found dead in the water after midnight. The third child was found near the Shore of Michigan Island at about 10 a.m. the next day.

"Even with all the required safety equipment and all the right training, anything can happen when you get out on the lake," said Coast Guard spokesperson Justin Sickler told CBS Minnesota.

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