Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
STRAWBERRY RESERVOIR — Rescue crews are searching for two missing brothers after a boat drifted to shore at Strawberry Reservoir with its engine still running, officials said.
A passerby on another boat reported to dispatchers about 2:30 p.m. Thursday that there was an unoccupied boat on the reservoir. The caller said the boat was still running and looked like it had drifted to the banks of the reservoir, according to a Facebook post from the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office.
Park rangers and deputies responded to the area but were unable to find the owner of the boat, so they called out a search and rescue crew.
Though the crew was, at first, unsure about who they may be looking for, the Wasatch County Sheriff's Office confirmed Thursday night that they are now looking for two brothers: a 70-year-old from Salem and a 61-year-old from Pleasant Grove. They are not releasing names at this time.
The missing men are familiar with the area, but authorities are unsure whether they were wearing life jackets while on the boat. The brothers' family is helping in the search.
"We spoke a lot about hope. Their hope is that they have the best outcome possible. They're worried, they're praying, they're supporting each other that there still can be a great outcome to this," said Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby.
Crews plan to search into the night, then others will reconvene at 6 a.m.
The boat ended up on the shore near state Route 40 about 9 miles from the border of Wasatch and Duchesne counties, Wasatch County Sheriff's Lt. Ken Purdy said. Crews are currently searching in an area called "The Ladders."
This story will be updated if more information becomes available.
Contributing: Mehul Asher and Andrew Adams, KSL TV
