7-year-old found safe after boat capsizes on fishing trip; her 2 grandfathers found dead

A 7-year-old girl was found safe while her grandfather and great-grandfather died after their boat capsized during a fishing trip at a park in Illinois.

The two men from Indiana were fishing with their 7-year-old granddaughter at the LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, about an hour and a half from Chicago, when their boat, a 17-foot Crestliner, capsized, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said in a news release Monday. The girl was wearing a life jacket while the two men were not, police said.

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'Distressed boater'

Authorities received a 911 call "about a distressed boater at the 2,000-acre lake near Marseilles" shortly after noon Sunday, the news release said. They arrived at the scene to find a capsized vessel and the little girl on the shore with park visitors who came to her aid. The visitors also helped in contacting her mother and grandmother.

First responders from multiple agencies assisted in searching for the two men who fell into the water. They were recovered in the evening around 7:45 p.m. and were pronounced dead on scene by the LaSalle County coroner, the department said.

While the identities of the two men were not released, the news release said the girl's grandfather from Merrillville, Indiana was 53 and her great-grandfather from Gary, Indiana was 80.

An investigation into the incident and what caused the vessel to capsize is ongoing.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.