Water rescue on Lake Michigan in Hammond, Indiana – NBC Chicago

An urgent search for two boaters who became submerged on Lake Michigan near Hammond, Indiana, was called off late Friday night, authorities said.

Emergency crews arrived at the Hammond Marina, 701 Casino Center Dr., around 3 p.m. Footage showed a man being escorted from a U.S. Coast Guard boat, placed on a stretcher and wheeled into an ambulance. His condition was unknown.

Two other boaters had not been found as of Friday evening. According to police, 12 people were on a motorboat near Hammond when the incident occurred.

One of the men jumped into the water to swim and got into trouble because of the wind and waves. The others then tried to move the boat toward him, Indiana Conversation official Alex Neel told the Indiana Conversation, but they were unable to do so due to conditions.

A second person jumped to help, and both began struggling in the water. A third person put on a life jacket to help and jumped into the lake, Neel said. However, all three people became separated.

The man wearing the life jacket was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, taken to the hospital and later released.

Authorities said the missing men were from Elk Grove Village and Mount Prospect, but did not provide further details.

Following the incident, Neel urged boaters and swimmers to pay attention to the weather forecast and take further steps to prevent a tragedy.

“Know the waters, have a marine radio so you can radio for help,” Neel said. “In this situation, they had flares and the first aid came because they fired flares into the air. A civilian boat saw it and came to help, and that’s how we were able to locate them.”

Long-time boaters also issued warnings.

“Lake Michigan is very rough. Unpredictable,” said boater Raymond Noble. “Be careful of the lake, it will turn against you in a second.”