PITKIN COUNTY — Two men drowned in the Ruedi Reservoir near Basalt on Saturday afternoon after one of the men jumped into the water to save another who was having an issue swimming, according to a release from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.
Just after 1 p.m. on Saturday, a United States Forest Service officer received a text from friends who were at the reservoir that said two people had drowned near the Aspen Yacht Club.
The officer immediately told the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch and rescue personnel that arrived learned two boats had been tied together, away from the shore, in the reservoir.
A witness on one of the boats said one of the men had been swimming away from his boat and began to have difficulty swimming. The second man, from one of the tied-up boats, jumped into the water to help the struggling man but then he too began to have problems swimming.
One of the men had already slipped under the surface of the water, and the second man went under the surface as a rescue boat from the Aspen Yacht Club arrived.
Both men were not seen again.
Once at the Aspen Yacht Club, rescue personnel from the Basalt Fire Department were given access to a boat and immediately went to where the drowning happened. After making several passes, they were unsuccessful at locating the men.
As had been done previously by a citizen passerby, the BFD personnel used a “fish-finder” on their boat and were able to find what they believed to be the bodies of two men about 20 to 30 feet below the surface.
The time that passed between the drowning and rescue personnel arriving was approximately 35 to 45 minutes. Based on the totality of the circumstances, it was decided to transition the response from a rescue to a recovery. A recovery team from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office that specializes in underwater rescue and recovery was requested and arrived on scene around 9 p.m.
Both bodies were recovered from the lake around midnight on Sunday. Their identities will come from the Eagle County Coroner’s Office.
The Aspen Yacht Club at Ruedi Reservoir is located approximately 19 miles from downtown Basalt, Colorado in the Frying Pan Valley.
At this time there are no signs of criminal activity and the investigation into these deaths is complete.
Should any member of the public bring forward information suggesting criminal activity the investigation may be reopened.
If you have information, you're asked to provide it via email at: tips@pitkinsheriff.com or via phone at: (970) 920-5300.
