A second man has died after authorities responded to reports of a drowning at Lake Yosemite on Sunday, according to authorities.
Merced County Sheriff’s Deputy Daryl Allen said a man who was pulled from Lake Yosemite by family and friends on Sunday died at a regional hospital Monday morning.
The man’s death comes after deputies responded shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday to a report of a possible drowning and recovered a man’s body from the lake.
Authorities said the two men were swimming in an area near a pier. One of the men reportedly went under the water and the other man began to struggle as he tried to save him. Witnesses were able to pull the first man from the water prior to authorities arriving on scene and he was rushed to the hospital.
‘He was unconscious, he was in serious condition,” Allen said.
Divers with the Merced County Sheriff’s Water Rescue and Recovery unit responded to the scene. After just over an hour of searching, deputies located the the other man’s body. That man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not released the names of the men pending notification of next of kin.
Allen said it is important to know how to swim for anyone going to an area with deep water. Authorities also advise people to stay out of the Merced River as people may believe the water is not moving fast but there can be strong undercurrents.
“We definitely want everyone to have a good time but we want everybody to be safe,” Allen said.
