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Two men rescued from lake after tug capsizes

The two residents of Michigan spend at least four hours in chilly Lake Okeechobee.

MIAMI - Two Michigan men were rescued Saturday after they were tossed into chilly Lake Okeechobee when their commercial tugboat capsized, authorities said.

Nathaniel Dozman, 19, of Wayland, Mich., and Josh Ruprecht, 27, of Twin Lakes, Mich., were pulled from the lake early Saturday after spending at least four hours in the water, clinging to the foundering vessel.

They were operating the Birdie B, a 38-foot tug and barge, heading west on the Intracoastal Waterway when the vessel capsized in 6- to 7-foot waters roiled by a passing storm, authorities said.

The men sent an alert before going in the water about 3 a.m. They clutched the vessel as the Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Okeechobee County sheriff's personnel searched, commission spokesman Jorge Pino said.

The men were spotted by a rescue helicopter and were taken from the water about 7 a.m., Pino said.

They were taken to St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach in fair condition, but they were suffering from dehydration and hypothermia, he said.

It was not clear how cold the water was, but southern Florida was in the midst of a cold snap early Saturday that lowered air temperatures in the northern section of the lake to the mid to high 40s, Pino said.

"I can only imagine that the water was frigid," Pino said. "It's a miracle that these two individuals were able to make it."

The tug is submerged but is not blocking the waterway, and about 500 gallons of diesel fuel on board is contained, the Coast Guard said.

The commission was working with a towing company to remove the vessel, Pino said.

[Last modified March 26, 2006, 00:25:14]