Three Friends Rescued After Boating Mishap In Northern Minnesota

WILKENSON TOWNSHIP (WJON News) -- Three women were rescued in a northern Minnesota lake.  The Cass County Sheriff's Office reports that the incident occurred on Thursday afternoon on Steamboat Lake in Wilkinson Township.

A woman came up on shore of a resort, exhausted from swimming, saying two other women were still in the water after their boat got away from them in the wind.  Resort guests went with the woman in a boat to search for the other two women.  A fisherman on the lake also noticed the unoccupied boat and joined the search.  They eventually found the two women and pulled them to safety.

Deputies say the three women were boating and decided to swim, leaving the boat unanchored and entering the water.  No life jackets were used.

The victims were ages 23, 25, and 28, all from Minneapolis.  They were treated on scene for minor injuries including exhaustion and water intake.

The conditions at the time of the rescue were windy with gusts of 25-30 miles an hour.  Water temperatures were 72 degrees.