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Crews work to rescue boaters from Bear Lake in windy conditions

SHARE Crews work to rescue boaters from Bear Lake in windy conditions

BEAR LAKE STATE PARK — A boat rescue was underway Monday night on Bear Lake as high winds pounded the area.

Search and rescue crews were looking for seven missing boaters late Monday night, Utah State Parks Lt. Eric Stucki told the Deseret News. Crews from Rich County were joining forces with rescue workers from Utah State Parks in the effort, he said.

A Bear Lake County, Idaho, official said some boaters had been located and were being pulled out of the lake.

The boat was not located as of about 9 p.m. Monday, according to Stucki.

The conditions of the missing boaters, including those who were located, were not immediately known. Photos from the scene showed two ambulances being loaded.

The boaters were reportedly affected by high winds in the area. One person took video of a floating dock being pushed out toward the middle of the lake due to wind.

Meanwhile Monday evening, two adults were treated by medical personnel after wind capsized their boat on Utah Lake.

A call was made at 7:55 p.m. reporting a capsized sailboat a half-mile from Provo Boat Harbor, said Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon.

The adults were found clinging to the boat and were out of the water 20-25 minutes after the call and were uninjured, he said.

In Box Elder County, high winds wreaked havoc on the tiny town of Portage, residents reported. Trees throughout Portage were pulled out, barns were destroyed and the roofs of some homes torn off, according to readers' reports.

One person was hospitalized and the shingles of 10 homes were blown off because of the conditions, according to an online report from the National Weather Service.

In Preston, Idaho, a person took photos at one of the city's golf courses, where at least four large trees were ripped from the ground in severe weather.

Contributing: Katie Larsen

Email: blockhart@deseretnews.com

Twitter: benlockhartnews