Seven rescued from Lake Michigan

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued seven people from Lake Michigan late Friday morning after their boat sank 2.3 miles east of Waukegan Harbor, authorities said.

The 37-foot charter fishing boat, belonging to Fin Seeker Sport Fishing Charters, sank in roughly 50 feet of water after the passengers hailed for help about 11:24 a.m.

The Coast Guard confirmed the sinking was related to the windy storm that passed through Friday.

"The boat was taking on water," Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Day said. "The winds were pretty high at the time, and the waves were 6 to 10 feet. It was just a matter of minutes before they were completely in the water and the vessel sank."

Day said the Coast Guard responded to other minor rescue calls Friday, "but nothing like this."

A Coast Guard helicopter dropped a rescue swimmer into the water and pulled out five people who were flown to Waukegan Regional Airport.

Three others, including the rescue swimmer, were picked up by a 41-foot Coast Guard rescue boat from Kenosha and taken to Waukegan Harbor.

All seven boat passengers were checked out by emergency crews upon arrival on shore and taken to area hospitals.

Day said the captain of the charter boat, Jason Lee, 38, of Waukegan, was in fine condition Friday at Waukegan Vista East Hospital.

Two other survivors, taken to the same hospital, a 50-year-old man, who was hypothermic upon arrival, was responding to treatment, and a 54-year-old woman was fine, Day said.

A 47-year-old man was fine and a 49-year-old woman, also hypothermic upon arrival, was responding to treatment, at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. Two other men, 56 and 43 years old, were stable at Lake Forest Hospital, Day said.

"They were coherent," Day said. "They could talk. They were cold and hypothermic."

The water temperature was around 50 degrees, he said.

Authorities could not confirm whether the survivors were released from hospitals.