4 rescued after overloaded boat capsizes in Voyageurs National Park

Authorities rescued four people after their boat capsized in the water Sunday night.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, at 9:09 p.m., a 911 caller reported a capsized boat with four people in the water on Namakan Lake, east of Old Dutch Bay and south of Ziski Island.

One of the involved persons had called 911 from their cellphone to report the incident. Other boaters in the vicinity rescued the four people in the water. The four people were wearing life jackets at the time, said the sheriff’s office.

Everyone was transported to the Ash River Visitor Center, and it was learned that the four people had left the Ash River Visitor Center and were heading to a campsite on Namakan Lake when their boat, which was overloaded with people and gear, began taking on water and eventually capsized.

The four people consist of two men, a woman, and a child, all from Crystal. They were all uninjured and released at the scene.

Voyageur National Park Service, the state’s Department of Natural Resources, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, International Falls Ambulance, and Kabetogama Fire/First Responders responded to the incident.