A 12-year-old boy suffered a near-drowning recently after a hectic 20-minute rescue effort by several Marion County Lake neighbors who helped lake staff rescue the boy at the lake's swimming beach.
The boy was reportedly with two other youths who were playing with a dog in the water when one of the boys went under.
Emergency services were called, but before crews arrived, lake visitors began attempting to locate the boy in the water. Reports say that at least a dozen beach patrons searched for the boy. The water was approximately 10 feet deep in the area the boy went under and there was no diving equipment on hand.
An underwater search and rescue team from Butler County was immediately called, but minutes later the boy had been located and was being pulled from the water. Reports say the boy was underwater 20 to 25 minutes.
Emergency crews attempted to resuscitate the boy, but found him initially unresponsive. But a few minutes later, EMTs reported that the boy had vomited. A helicopter was summoned and he was transported to a nearby hospital. At last report, he was clinging to life.
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