Swimming Tragedy at Green Lake Last Night
UPDATE: Both of the swimmers pulled from Green Lake last Thursday night have died. This afternoon The Seattle Times reported the names of the two young men, Abeney Getachew, of Snohomish County, and Euel Desta of Shoreline. Both were in their 20s.
According to the paper the two men were previously playing soccer in the park with several others and may have been chasing a ball that fell into the Lake. Both men had trouble staying above the water line when they were about 50 yards from shore. The article also says that the King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled drowning as the official cause of death. Additional details about the rescue, that can be found here.
An online campaign has been started by Desta’s friend to help the family pay for the funeral: http://www.gofundme.com/cui2w4.
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Sad news to report from Green Lake. One man drowned and another is in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center.
Sometime after dark last night four people were swimming on the east side of the lake, when they “got into trouble,” according to The Seattle Times. Two of the four swimmers were able to swim ashore but two disappeared under the water. Seattle Police and responders were called out to Green Lake at 9:30 p.m. to assist the two men, who had gone underwater but had not been seen. Underwater divers were needed to help. After 30 minutes under water, the first swimmer was pulled from the water and the second after roughly 45 minutes. According to the Seattle Times both were unresponsive and both required CPR and were taken to Harborview.
The identities of both the man that died and the man in critical condition have not been given. Both Green Lake beaches appear to be open this morning. Our hearts go out to the friends and families who lost a loved one and to the man in Harborview.
