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Authorities are searching for a man who went missing on a personal watercraft in Lake Erie near Erieau.
The man, whom Ontario Provincial Police identified only as 42-year-old Jason, was one of five people operating separate watercrafts – commonly known as jet skis – who were leaving Rondeau Bay on Thursday when one of the machines struck a water hazard and became disabled.
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One person became separated from the group after continuing into the lake, while the others returned to the marina with the disabled vessel, said police, who were notified just before 3 p.m.
Police, who released an image of the missing man, described him as 5-10 in height, with a medium build and black hear. Hew was wearing yellow life-jacket, red swim shorts, and a beige T-shirt. The man had been operating a 1996 white, green, and blue Sea-Doo GTX Limited.
The Canadian and U.S. coast guards, along with staff from nearby Rondeau Provincial Park and other emergency responders, were helping in the search, the OPP said,
The Erieau-Rondeau Bay area, with its park and beaches, is a popular summer recreation destination south of Chatham for boaters, wind-surfers and swimmers.
Summer is little more than half over, but already lakes and waterways have taken a heavy toll in Southwestern Ontario.
Wednesday, an unidentified 16-year-old from Tilbury died in Erie in Lakeshore, in Essex County.
Two London-area residents died in the region’s Great Lakes waters last month, including a 57-year-old London kayaker in Lake Huron near Grand Bend and a 14-year-old London boy who went swimming in Lake Erie off Port Stanley but did not resurface. In both cases, major searches were launched.
A month earlier, in June, a 32-year-old swimmer died after he went missing in Erie’s waters off Leamington.
Elgin OPP are investigating the disappearance of the 42-year-old near Erieau and ask anyone with information to call them at 1-888-310-1122.
jmoulton@postmedia.com
@jackmoulton65
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