Ebrahim Akhoon: Search enters second day for missing swimmer in Lake Michigan
Search enters second day for swimmer who went missing in Lake Michigan
Authorities have been searching the area around Elder Beach in Winnetka since 7 a.m. Wednesday, but so far, the young man who went missing while swimming in Lake Michigan has not been recovered.
WINNETKA, Ill. - Authorities have been searching the area around Elder Beach in Winnetka since 7 a.m. Wednesday, but so far, the young man who went missing while swimming in Lake Michigan has not been recovered.
Ebrahim Akhoon, of Glendale Heights, was one of three young men who went into the water for a swim around 2 a.m. Tuesday.
His friends say Akhoon hit something in the water, fell unconscious and because of the heavy waves, they couldn’t rescue him.
Winnetka Fire Chief John Ripka is heading up the search with dive rescue assistance from a number of neighboring North Shore suburbs.
Those divers are searching underwater close to the shoreline about a quarter-mile in either direction from where Akhoon was last seen.
They also have two boats equipped with sonar that are scanning Lake Michigan in a grid pattern, going as far as a half mile out from shore.
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'My heart is broken': Search continues for teen missing in Lake Michigan
A somber cloud hung over Winnetka on Tuesday as the family of 18-year-old Ebrahim Akhoon faced an agonizing ordeal. The young man had ventured into Lake Michigan during the early morning hours and has yet to be located.
And for the better part of Wednesday afternoon, they have been using special search dogs that have the ability to smell bodies underwater.
Those dogs are on boats that are searching the area along the shoreline.
Coast Guard helicopters could also be seen scanning the area and rescue teams are also using drones, equipped with infrared cameras to search the water.
Akhoon’s family has been watching all of this from another beach just south of there.
They didn't want to talk on camera, but said they are praying that his body is recovered soon.
They are also asking for people who live in the area to keep an eye on the water.