Lightning causes rowing team’s boat to capsize in Florida. One student dead
_fitted.png "Officials are still searching for a Florida student after a boat capsized during rowing practice Sept. 16.")
Update: On Friday, Sept. 16, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit located the body of the missing student, according to a news release from the Orlando Fire Department.
“On behalf of the Orlando Fire Department and all the first responders on scene, our hearts go out to the families and friends impacted by this tragedy,” a spokesperson for the department said.
Update: The Orlando Fire Department originally said that two boats equipped with sonar were supporting the search. They sent a revised news release clarifying that only one boat was equipped with sonar and an additional two boats were on-site to aid the search.
The original story is below.
A student is missing after a boat capsized during a rowing practice Thursday, Sept. 15, Florida officials say.
Team members with North Orlando Rowing Club were practicing on Lake Fairview around 5:50 p.m. Thursday when a lightning strike resulted in a boat capsizing, according to a news release from The Orlando Fire Department.
There were five middle school-aged students in the boat, a fire department spokesperson told Fox 35. After the boat flipped over, three students were assessed on the scene and released, one was transported to AdventHealth for Children and one is still missing.
North Orlando Rowing says it is still working to determinethe details of the situation.
“The rowers, their families and coaches of North Orlando Rowing are devastated. We are working through this as we always do, as a team,” the team wrote in a Sept. 16 Facebook post.
The department called the incident a “heartbreaking situation” and says it worked all through the night and will continue its search. Orange County Fire Rescue, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Sheriff’s Office are assisting in search efforts. Orlando Police Department also remains on site.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit arrived at 5:30 a.m. Friday with three boats — one pontoon boat with sonar and two others to support the search, the release says.
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 10:04 AM with the headline "Lightning causes rowing team’s boat to capsize in Florida. One student dead."
