Missing woman found alive in submerged jeep in Texas lake
A woman in the United States was found alive in a vehicle that was submerged in a lake, two days after she was reported missing.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said it received a call for help on April 7 from a fisherman at the Lake O’ the Pines in Marion County, Texas.
Lake O’ the Pines is located in East Texas, and has a maximum depth of about 15m. It is an area for fishing, boating and other recreational activities.
“He reported observing a black jeep submerged about forty feet from the Woody’s Camp boat ramp,” said the post.
Photos shared by the Sherriff’s Office showed most of the jeep was submerged, with only its black roof visible.
Local authorities and recovery services arrived at the scene and as they were preparing to remove the jeep from the water, they noticed a person was inside and moving.
“With the assistance of the wrecker service, fisherman, and Marion County deputies, a female was safely rescued from the submerged jeep,” said the post.
The fisherman who made the call to the police used his boat to help a tow-truck worker get close to the jeep and hook up a tow cable, Captain Chuck Rogers, an investigator at the Sherriff’s Office told US radio broadcaster NPR.
The woman was then taken to a local hospital for further treatment by paramedics, added the post.
Authorities later determined that the woman had been reported missing since April 5, according to a report by The Guardian.
Her identity has not been made known to the public.
It is not known how long the jeep had been submerged in the water, said Mr Rogers.
“There was nothing uncovered during the investigation to suggest this case was anything more than an accident,” he added.
More than 1,300 comments were left under the Facebook post, with many praising the rescue efforts that took place on Good Friday.
Netizen Ms Melony Coalson commented that the story is “mind-boggling”, and added that she hoped to hear more about it.
“Amazing! So glad she was saved!” commented Ms Debby Meisenheimer.
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