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Crews in Indiana Search for Missing Kayaker from Kalamazoo

Posted at 1:52 AM, Apr 07, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-07 01:58:20-04
kzoo kayaker

Courtesy: FOX 59 News

BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY, Ind. (April 7, 2014) — Crews plan to be out again on Monday as soon as daylight hits, to resume their search for a missing kayaker from Kalamazoo.

According to FOX 59 News, Indiana Conservation officers say Enrique Quinonez, 27, was kayaking with his friend on the Flat Rock River on Sunday, when his kayak capsized without warning.  His friend, Alex Cruz, attempted to save him by pulling him to a tree.  Somehow, Quinonez let go and disappeared into the murky water.

Cruz started screaming for help, which a passerby heard and called 911. Searchers quickly responded with boats and sonar equipment, but their efforts yielded no results.

“In my experiences, when someone goes under, they usually go to the bottom,” said Jet Quillen, an Indiana Conservation Officer.  There’s a lot of debris and a lot of obstacles they could get caught on and more than likely if he was not able to make it out, he’s going to be confined to the area where he went under.”

Dive teams were unable to enter the water due to the high-speed currents and aforementioned obstacles, so much of the search efforts were done from the surface and the shore.

According to FOX 59, Enrique Quinonez has family who lives in South Florida, as well as a fiance.