A birthday celebration turned to tragedy Monday when two boys lost their lives after being swept away in the rushing waters near an Oklahoma dam.
Four young boys celebrating a birthday decided to go swimming and fishing July 10 near the spillway at Lake Overholser outside Oklahoma City, KWTV News reported. A lost shoe prompted all of the boys to get into the water. but the current proved too much for them, sweeping all four away, the outlet reported.
Water Rescue
Lake Overholser
7/10/23 @ 5:46
Firefighters responded to a water rescue emergency near the backside of Lake Overholers Dam. With the water gates open, the water currents were extremely strong. Four boys were fishing in the area and entered the water. pic.twitter.com/e6IPOAUvzr— Oklahoma City Fire (@OKCFD) July 11, 2023
When emergency responders arrived on the scene, they found two boys, described only as teenagers, clinging to a concrete barrier on the spillway, KFOR News reported. After safely bringing the two teens to shore with a water-rescue team, police deployed a dive team to find the others, described only as two boys aged 10- and 11-years old, according to KWTV.
Officials located the body of one of the boys at approximately 9 p.m. while the other was found hours later around 1 a.m., KFOR reported. Fire officials noted that with the water gates open, the current around the spillway is “extremely strong” and the boys weren’t very far in when they were pulled under. “With these heavy rainfalls, swift water can take you downstream [and] underwater in just a matter of seconds,” Oklahoma City Fire Department Captain Scott Douglas stated, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Sheriff Warns Swimmers After ‘Deadliest’ US Beach Claims Seven Lives, Including NFL QB)
“This is just a tragic situation [and] we hate it for the parents. These four boys were just down here trying to have a good time [and] unfortunately they were just treading on dangerous grounds,” Douglas continued.