38-year-old man presumed drowned, sheriff requests Sable River outlet to closure. 

38-year-old man presumed drowned, sheriff requests Sable River outlet to closure. 

#MasonCountyNews.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

UPDATED information. 

HAMLIN TOWNSHIP — Emergency crews are searching for a missing 38-year-old man who was swept out of the mouth of the Sable River into Lake Michigan at 3:13 p.m. today, Thursday, July 25, 2019,  at Ludington State Park and presumed drowned. The Mason County Sheriff’s Office reported that four people were initially involved in the incident, two of them were children. Two deputies happened to be at the state park when it occurred and immediately responded. One deputy went into the water with a life jacket in an attempt to rescue the 38-year-old man. The other three were pulled to safety. 

According to the sheriff’s office, the missing man is said to be a white male, 5-feet, 10 inches tall, with short hair, and wearing black and white shorts.

Multiple agencies have responded to the incident, which is the second drowning in 48 hours at Ludington State Park and the third in a week along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Mason County. 

Multiple agencies have been involved in the search effort including MCSO, Mason County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, MCSO Victim Services Unit, Hamlin Township Fire Department, U.S. Coast Guard air and water crews, Ludington Fire Department, Custer Fire Department, Scottville Fire Department, Pere Marquette Township Fire Department, Grant Township Fire Department, Ludington Police/Fire harbor patrol, Ludington Police Department, Ludington State Park, Mason County Emergency Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Life EMS. 

Sheriff Kim Cole is again urging people to use extreme caution in Lake Michigan, especially near the outlets of rivers. Sheriff Cole has requested, through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Command, to close of the Sable River outlet at the Ludington State Park until water levels subside. 

The public is reminded to be aware of dangerous currents that are possible on Lake Michigan. The torrential rain that occurred this past weekend has created dangerous river conditions. The Sable/Sauble, Lincoln and Pere Marquette rivers are full to their banks, and the high flows may create life-threatening conditions at the Lake Michigan outlets, Cole said. “The high river levels may also be hiding dangerous snags or hazards under the surface of the water. Please do not swim in the mouth of rivers until they have receded back to normal levels.”

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