U.S.

2 Men Dead, 2 Missing After Wisconsin Canoe Accident

Officials say the four men set out on the lake around 2 or 3 a.m. and never returned. A missing persons report was filed around 11 a.m.

2 Men Dead, 2 Missing After Wisconsin Canoe Accident
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"If we get one or two cold nights, the whole lake will freeze over. That's how cold the water is," East Troy Police Chief James Surges said.

Four men are presumed dead after what officials believe was a canoe accident on a frigid lake in Wisconsin

The bodies of two men were pulled from Mill Lake in Walworth County on Sunday. 

"It's dangerous to be on the water at night. It's dangerous to be on the water when it's really cold. You combine any of those and it leads to [a] very tragic situation," Surges said.

Officials say the four men from Illinois, all in their early 20s, took the canoe out around 2 or 3 a.m. Sunday morning. When they didn't return, a missing persons report was filed around 11 a.m. 

Authorities say the canoe tipped over fairly close to the house they were staying in. They told WITI alcohol is believed to have played a factor. Officials are expected to recover the other two bodies.