Bodies of missing boaters recovered in Hammond, Indiana, near Lake Michigan – NBC Chicago

First responders in northwest Indiana on Friday recovered the bodies of two boaters who disappeared a week earlier in the waters of Lake Michigan near Hammond, authorities said.

The bodies of Salvador Lopez, 32, and Eduardo Rivera Jr., 45, both of Elk Grove Village, were recovered from the lake Monday afternoon. Both victims were found about a mile and a half from where they were last seen, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Rescue crews were called on July 5 after one of the men jumped into the water to swim and began struggling due to the wind and waves. The others on the boat tried to move the boat toward him, Indiana Conversation Officer Alex Neel said, but they were unable to do so due to the 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.

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.”