Trained scuba diver drowns in Crane Lake in northern Minnesota while trying to recover machinery

A man trying to recover a piece of sunken machinery from a northern Minnesota lake drowned Sunday, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said.

The 50-year-old man from Embarrass, Minn., was identified by the sheriff’s office as William Rebarich.

Rebarich, who was a trained scuba diver, was helping a group of people pull the object out of Crane Lake when he went under the water just before 12:15 p.m. but did not resurface, according to the sheriff’s office.

Bystanders on the scene and first responders were able to pull Rebarich to the shore, but despite performing life-saving efforts he died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

Rebarich was not affiliated with any recovery or salvage company, the sheriff’s office said.

The incident remains under investigation.