(Wahpeton)– The search continues for 12-year-old Colin Helmers of Estherville, one of two people on board a dock barge that sank late Saturday afternoon in West Lake Okoboji.
The body of 31-year-old Matthew Molacek of Estherville was recovered by divers around 12:30 this (Monday) afternoon.
Diving crews suspended operations for the night around 7:00 p.m. (Mon.) out of safety concerns due to darkness. Sheriff Greg Baloun says divers and search dogs will resume operations at daybreak tomorrow (Tues.).
The barge the two were on, owned by Donaldson Docks, Incorporated, became inoperable and started taking on water. Officials say a cell phone call made to a friend is the last anyone heard from the barge. That was around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
The barge was found around 7:00 p.m. Sunday in about 65 feet of water. Molacek’s body was found about 25 feet to the southwest of the barge wreckage in about 66 feet of water.
Mark Petersen of the Okoboji Underwater Search and Rescue Team says the depth of the lake is making it somewhat difficult for divers as they can’t stay down for very long periods at a time. He say’s they’re going down in shifts. To make matters even more complicated, Petersen says the barge wreckage sits on the edge of what’s known as “the hole”…where the depth suddenly plunges to as much as 136 feet.
