The search continued Tuesday for two Illinois men who went overboard from a boat off of Hammond’s shore on July 5, according to a release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement.
The division’s boat was using sonar near Whiting, 1 to 3 miles offshore, Tuesday morning, said Indiana Conservation Officer Alex Neel.
“The weather has not cooperated,” he said, adding that the rescue switched to recovery mode a couple of hours after the men, from Mount Prospect and Elk Gove Village, went overboard over the long holiday weekend.
“Witnesses saw them go below the surface and not return,” Neel added.
Officials have not provided the identities of the missing men.
Around 2:40 p.m. on July 5, conservation officers responded to a report that two people were missing after jumping from their boar near Hammond, according to an initial release. Officers located the boat nearly 2½ miles off the Whiting shore and were told that an additional man was missing but wearing a life jacket.
After a multi-agency search, the U.S. Coast Guard located the man wearing a life jacket. He was transported to an area hospital and later released.
Passengers on the boat used flares to signal for help, prompting a 911 call, Neel said.
Strong winds and high waves have consistently hampered recovery efforts, which Neel said means it’s “going to be nearly impossible” to safely have a DNR boat in the water for the recovery effort.
The search effort has included the Division of Law Enforcement’s drone, as well as the Lake County Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter.
“There will still be some searches done by shore,” Neel said.
Assisting agencies include the U.S. Coast Guard Marine and Aviation Units, Lake County Sheriff’s Department Marine and Aviation Units, the Hammond Fire Department, the Hammond Police Department and the Hammond Port Authority.
alavalley@chicagotribune.com
