WOODSTOCK, Maine – Maine Warden Service Divers have recovered the body of a New York City Man who drowned.

At approximately 2:20 this afternoon with winds gusting over 35 miles and intermittent snow, Maine Warden Service divers located and recovered Yohanna Milad Israel Rizk, age 28 of New York City. Rizk was found in about 40 feet of water, 240 yards from the shore in Bryant Pond.

The Maine Warden Service Dive team started diving around 8:30 this morning. Due to the high winds and large waves, diving conditions were difficult. Divers being towed by the boat on ropes had difficulty staying close to the bottom due to the rough conditions on the surface. Early this afternoon, the side scan sonar on the Warden Service Dive Boat was able to identify a likely area, and warden service divers were able to locate and recover Rizk.

Rizk had been missing and presumed drowned since yesterday afternoon when he went kayaking on Bryant Pond. His kayak flipped over dumping him into the 47-degree water around 1:30 yesterday afternoon. Rizk, an inexperienced kayaker, was not wearing a life jacket and did not know how to swim, struggled to grab the kayak before going under according to friends who witnessed the event from shore. Two friends grabbed two kayaks and went onto the pond to look for him, but found no sign of him.

The Maine Warden Service and Woodstock Fire Department searched with boats yesterday but did not locate Rizk. A Maine Game Warden and his K9 did find a glove Rizk was wearing that had washed ashore. Game Warden divers focused their search on the area where witnesses last saw him.

###

Contact: Mark Latti, MDIFW Communications Director, 207-592-1339 (cell) mark.latti@maine.gov