17-year-old from Minnesota missing after swimming in Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes
CHICAGO (CBS) — Search efforts were underway for a teen who disappeared in Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana on Tuesday.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed a 17-year-old from Eagan, Minnesota, was last seen swimming near Kemil Beach in Beverly Shores, Indiana around 2 p.m.
Crews responded to a call for swimmers in distress and located two swimmers and a good Samaritan who required medical treatment.
The third swimmer remains missing.
The IDNR said the search effort was a recovery mission on Wednesday.
The Porter Fire Department chief said beach conditions had been rough, and the swimmers were dealing with high waves. He believes the swimmer disappeared about 50 feet from shore.
"If you look at the lake, you can see the waves," said Chief Jay Craig. "We have 4 to 6-foot waves that are rolling and that's just conditions that our divers can't enter the water [with] the turbulence. They'll roll in the waves. It's very dangerous. It inhibits the boats from being able to get close to shore, because they'll get picked up by the waves."
Andy Himan, the fire chief in Beverly Shores, said the swimmers should not have been in the water to begin with.
"People seem to think it's a body of water, it's like a swimming pool," Himan said. "It's not. Not even close. This lake can change in a matter of minutes."
The search on Wednesday was limited to the shore due to dangerous conditions along the lakefront. The IDNR confirmed that a beach hazards statement remains in effect due to waves of 6 to 9 feet.
Drones and crews with ATVs will continue the shore-based search on Wednesday.