Rescue crews recovered the body of a paddleboarder who fell into Rampart Reservoir and disappeared during a wind storm northwest of Colorado Springs on Saturday afternoon.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department responded to the reservoir east of Woodland Park late Saturday afternoon after witnesses reported seeing a man fall into the 62-degree water and disappear, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said in a news release.
A dog on the paddleboard managed to stay afloat before eventually swimming to shore.
A Colorado Parks and Wildlife water rescue team used sonar and a remote-operate submersible to search the 500-acre reservoir and found the man’s body underwater at 1 a.m. Sunday.
His name will be released by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.
This is at least the 30th water-related death in Colorado so far in 2024, state officials said in a news release.
“This is a tragedy and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of the victim,” CPW Boating Safety Manager Grant Brown said in a statement. “We’ve experienced far too many water deaths in Colorado. We urge everyone on or near the water to please wear a life jacket.”
Falling into water that cold can cause someone’s body to cramp and leave them unable to swim, Brown said.
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