Officials have suspended recovery efforts for a missing swimmmer at Lighthouse Beach in Evanston as of 2:30 p.m. Monday, stating all search areas have been exhausted.
Lifeguards and Evanston fire personnel will continue surface and shoreline searches on Tuesday, read a news release by the city
A distress call brought the Evanston Fire Department to Lighthouse Beach around 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon to rescue four swimmers struggling in the water.
According to a news release, a bystander rescued an adult woman and two teenage females, but a 41-year-old swimmer remained missing. The Evanston Fire Department along with more than 10 outside agencies such as the Coast Guard and Chicago Fire Department assisted in the search, but the missing swimmer wasn’t found.
Efforts were called off around 7:40 p.m. according to a posting by the Evanston Police Department on X, formerly Twitter.
One of the rescued teenagers was transported to the hospital where she was treated and released.
The beach was under a red flag warning, a new system the city has adopted that is also used by the Chicago Parks Department on its beaches. Red flag advisories indicate dangerous waters and swimming is not permitted. Lifeguards are also not on duty when red flags are in place as swimming is prohibited.
The Monday afternoon news release stressed that beachgoers observe signs and flags posted on the beach and exercise caution while using the beach for their own safety.
“Rip currents are dangerous and not always obvious, so please adhere to beachfront safety guidelines and the flag system to stay safe,” said Evanston Lakefront and Athletics Manager Tim Carter. “We kindly remind beachgoers to only swim when lifeguards are on duty. Rip currents and swimming near break walls are especially dangerous to beachgoers as these currents can sweep even the strongest swimmers out into the lake.”
Beachgoers can check each beach’s status on the city’s website and check posted signs.
The missing swimmer marks the second incident since the new system was put in place. A report of a missing swimmer from Lee Street Beach was discovered unfounded on June 3.
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