Deputies recover body of boater who drowned at Blue Lake Park

FAIRVIEW, Ore. — Deputies retrieved the body of a man at Blue Lake Park Monday after he jumped from a boat, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said.

Initial reports said the 20-year-old man rented a paddle boat with a woman and went out on the lake. Tuesday, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner identified the drowning victim as 20-year-old Noorullah Tajik of Portland.

According to Metro, the boat started taking on water when both the man and the woman got on one side of it.

As the boat began to sink, the man and woman jumped from it. The man disappeared underwater; a swimmer helped the woman get back to shore.

After more than an hour of searching, rescue crews shifted their work to a recovery effort.

"This was a family/community event for a bunch of family and friends to come down to Blue Lake Park and rent the paddle boats and go out and enjoy a beautiful day on the water. Unfortunately, for this family, it ended in a tragedy," Sgt. Brandon White, with the sheriff's office, said.

Family of the young man were watching the rescue effort from the park. A member of his family was yelling, "I need my brother alive," after the man's body was recovered.

His body was recovered around 6 p.m.

According to officials, life jackets are a requirement when renting boats. Deputies aren't sure whether the boaters were wearing their life jackets.

Metro told KATU News the two were given life jackets when they rented the boat.

There are no lifeguards on duty at the park.