Man drowns in Albert Lea lake, searcher injured
A man drowned Thursday morning at Fountain Lake in Albert Lea.
The victim was identified as Matthew Jay Anderson, 66, of Albert Lea.
The Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a person drowning at the Edgewater boat landing just before 11 a.m. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officer was already on the lake and responded in his boat almost immediately, according to a press release.
Witnesses directed the officer to an area just east of the landing dock, where the water is about eight and a half feet deep. Search efforts began immediately using boats and divers.
Anderson’s body was discovered about an hour into the search.
The news release says a member of the Albert Lea Fire Department was injured during the search when he was struck with a hook from one of the bottom drags.
