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Oregon man drowns in Flathead Lake

Posted at 4:01 PM, Sep 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-14 18:01:46-04

An Oregon man died while working on his boat in Flathead Lake.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office reports that John Stoianoff, 75, died after being found 12-to-15 feet underwater in the Rollins area.

Emergency crews responded to the scene at 3:14 p.m. Thursday after receiving reports of a possible drowning.

The initial 911 call indicated Stoianoff had been last seen conducting some maintenance on his boat, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

He was found after about an hour underwater, prompting the 911 call. A responding Deputy Sheriff was able to dive down to pull Stoianoff from the bottom.

Life rescuing measures were attempted but unsuccessful.

The Rollins and Chief Cliff fire departments, along with Lake County Search & Rescue all responded to the scene.