espiegle/iStock(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — Two friends were making their first visit to Lake Michigan when they were swept into the water. One of the teens, a 16-year-old girl, hasn’t been seen for over 24 hours.
The friends were on the Holland State Park pier, near Grand Rapids, at about 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday when a large wave knocked them into the water, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy, 18, was able to climb out of the water and seek help, officials said, but the girl was swept away and is presumed to have drowned.
“This is a recovery at this point,” Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jay Douglas told reporters on Thursday.
The survivor was taken to a hospital and has since been released, Douglas said.
The friends — from another part of the state — were there to see Lake Michigan for the first time, Douglas said.
Douglas warned, “Lake Michigan isn’t a joke.”
“These conditions are not conducive to being out on the pier,” Douglas said. “The waves are breaking over the pier. Add that to being out there at night, it’s a very dangerous situation.”
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