Overview
- A recreational boat flipped at Wheatfields Lake on June 26 after multiple reports of a capsized vessel, and three people entered the water.
- Tribal, county and state responders, including the New Mexico State Police Dive Team and Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife, launched a multi-agency search and rescue operation.
- Relentless northbound winds reported up to about 35 mph and nightfall repeatedly made water work unsafe, prompting officials to suspend active searching until Monday.
- Authorities have closed the lake’s northwestern and eastern shores, banned private watercraft, and said officers will continue to patrol the area while teams are off the water.
- Officials have not confirmed the condition or location of the third person who entered the water or whether the overturned boat has been found, and further recovery depends on safer conditions.