Minnesota man, 62, on solo camping trip found dead in lake near overturned canoe
The body of man canoeing in Northern Minnesota was found submerged by fellow canoeists on Friday. The man had been camping alone and wasn't wearing a life jacket.
The body of a 62-year-old Minnesota man was found partly submerged in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the northern part of the state on Friday.
The man, identified as Mark Ham, was discovered by canoeists around 5 p.m. who called 911, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Ham, who wasn't wearing a life jacket, had been canoeing by himself, his family told law enforcement. A life jacket was found at the scene.
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"With the opening of the Minnesota fishing season this weekend, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Rescue Squad would like to remind everyone to please wear their life jackets while out on the water enjoying their favorite water recreations this summer," the department said in a release.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Midwest Medical Examiner's Office are investigating Ham’s death.
Ham lived in Duluth.
His death comes a week after a 20-year-old man drowned while trying to save a 23-year-old old woman while they had been hiking around a lake near Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 29.
Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death, and 80% of drowning deaths are men, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is near the border with Ontario, Canada, about 25 miles north of Ely, Minnesota.