BURLINGTON, Vt. –The Coast Guard and other agencies are searching Lake Champlain after receiving a radio call from an unknown source.
The Coast Guard received a call on VHF/FM channel 16 that a vessel had been hit by lightning and was going down.
A storm is moving through the area although authorities have received no reports of lightning strikes.
Rescue boats from Coast Guard Station Burlington, the Colchester Police Department, and Customs and Border Protection of Plattsburgh, N.Y., are searching the area. A Falcon jet from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., and a helicopter and airplane from CBP are also on scene.
“The interagency cooperation Station Burlington received from the Colchester police and the Customs and Boarder patrol were instrumental in searching such a large area on Lake Champlain,” said Cheif Petty Officer Christopher Wheeler, search and rescue coordinator at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. “Our continued operations with these local and federal partners allow for seamless coordination and provide the most bang for the buck to the taxpayer.”
