Three girls rescued after kayaks get caught in wind on Leech Lake
Three girls were rescued after their kayaks got caught in the wind on Leech Lake Saturday.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident at around 5 p.m. The three were kayaking on Leech Lake west of Minnesota Island when their kayaks got caught in the wind and started to take on water.
One of the girls ended up in the water for several minutes. The other two were unable to paddle because their kayaks were partially submerged.
All three were wearing life jackets and were taken ashore. They were treated on scene by North Memorial Ambulance before being released to an adult.
In a press release, Sheriff Tom Burch says the water temperature was around 45 degrees.
"The safe outcome of this incident was the use of life jackets by all three juveniles," he said.
The Minnesota DNR says that around 30% of boating deaths in the state happen in cold water when the victim is not wearing a life jacket, according to MPR News.