GIRARDVILLE, Pa. - Crews were back out most of the day Wednesday continuing the search/recovery efforts for a male who went missing while kayaking Tuesday in Schuylkill County.
Crews were unable to locate the missing male as the search again had to be terminated due to impending weather, according to Girardville Fire Department.
According to Channel 69 news, Girardville Fire Chief Frank Zangari confirmed the man they have been searching for since Tuesday afternoon is 42-year-old Donald Haymaker of Girardville.
Photo courtesy Rangers Hose Company, Girardville, Pa.
According to the article, Haymaker went out with a friend to kayak and fish in the strip-mining pit, but he never came back. From the drone footage we captured, the water in the strip-mining pit looks pristine, but Zangari said he knows through personal experience how deadly the water can be.
Zangari said, "This is my seventh casualty in this hole since it's there. I keep praying that at some point the federal government is going to fill it in."
Zangari said they now have the task of searching the entire strip-mining pit, which he said can reach 1,000 feet deep in places. He also said, that after responding to this same strip mining pit over and over again throughout his career for rescues, he's pleading with the public to listen.
Zangari told WFMZ News, "My advice to people is stop. There's a point where you've just got to use your common sense. Stop swimming in a hole. It's dirty water, it's not healthy, and it's bottomless. There's no better way to say it."
According to Zangari,"Two guys were kayaking up there, one topsided. Failure to call 911 for two hours."
According to the news report, they did locate a garment and boot from the victim.
A smaller search team will be out on Thursday, according to the article.
The fire department asks that if anyone sees anything suspicious in the area, they should contact PSP in Frackville.
Photo courtesy Rangers Hose Company, Girardville, Pa.
Photo courtesy Rangers Hose Company, Girardville, Pa.
Photo courtesy Rangers Hose Company, Girardville, Pa.
Photo courtesy Rangers Hose Company, Girardville, Pa.