Body of student rower who went missing after apparent lightning strike in Orlando found

Five people were onboard a vessel at the time, the Orlando Fire Department said.

September 17, 2022, 2:00 PM

The body of a student who went missing after an apparent lightning strike during rowing practice on a Florida lake has been found, authorities said.

Members of the nonprofit group North Orlando Rowing were practicing at Lake Fairview in Orlando around 5:50 p.m. on Thursday when the incident took place, the Orlando Fire Department told ABC News in a statement.

"Preliminary reports indicate lightning struck the area," the department said.

One person was transported to a local hospital and another was missing following the incident, the department said.

A search and rescue mission ensued, with Orlando's dive team, the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Fire and Rescue Department also responding.

PHOTO: Search and rescue crews are looking for a child at Lake Fairview in Orlando, Fla., after a boat capsized following a lightning strike, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
Search and rescue crews are looking for a child at Lake Fairview in Orlando, Fla., after a boat capsized following a lightning strike, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.
WFTV

After searching late into the night Thursday, search teams returned on Friday morning. Search operations were temporarily suspended Friday due to inclement weather before resuming.

Then, at around 5:15 p.m. Friday, the Orange County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit located the missing student on Lake Fairview, the fire department said.

"We are incredibly saddened by this incident and appreciate the efforts of the multiple agencies who worked together over the past 24 hours to assist in the rescue," the fire department said.

Five people were on board a vessel at the time, all believed to be students from various schools in Central Florida, the fire department.

The missing rower was a student at Annunciation Catholic Academy, a K-8th grade school in Altamonte Springs, the school said.

"Please pray for our student, missing in the tragic boating accident on Lake Fairview, and his family. We also ask that you keep our community in your prayers as well," the school said on social media on Friday.

North Orlando Rowing said it is "devastated and heartbroken" after learning one of its rowers had died in the "tragic accident."

"We are working together to support the family and our rowing family," it said in a statement.