Search for man missing in Lake Alexandrina, near Milang called off until Sunday

A search for a young man missing in Lake Alexandrina after an inflatable canoe overturned has ended for today and will resume on Sunday morning.

A young father remains missing after falling off an inflatable canoe on Lake Alexandrina on Friday, as police lose hope of finding him alive.

The man, 31, of Brahma Lodge, set off on the canoe with a friend, 19, after fishing near Sheoak Road, just north of Milang on Friday morning.

However, the two men, who were not wearing life jackets, fell off amid treacherous conditions.

About 2.45pm, the 19-year-old, of Elizabeth Vale, was found floating on his back a kilometre from the shore and was treated for hypothermia.

Acting Superintendent Gus Sickerdick, of the Hills Fleurieu Local Service Area, said the man floated 3.5km east from where they had deployed the canoe.

“The boat that the men were in was located, and unfortunately it still had the oars and the sunglasses belonging to the (31-year-old), about 2km offshore and 7.8km east of where they set off from Sheoak Road,” he said.

Due to a significant language barrier, police have been unable to find out exactly how the men fell out of the canoe, but they were not wearing life jackets, Superintendent Sickerdick said.

Police continued to search for the 31-year-old until about 5.30pm on Friday.

The second man, who was found on Friday, hours after the alarm was raised. Picture: Nine News Adelaide.

They resumed about 10am on Saturday, as police concentrated their efforts along the shore of Lake Alexandrina.

Up to seven jetskis, including civilian ones, a police boat and PolAir helicopter joined in the search.

However, all resources were abruptly diverted to the Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula after a man fell off rocks into the ocean. Just before noon, the Lake Alexandrina search was called off for the day. It is due to resume just after 10am on Sunday.

“At this stage it doesn’t look good,” he said of the man missing at Milang.

“Given the nature of what we found out about the capacity of how good they can swim, the nature of the lake, the choppiness from (Friday), unfortunately I have to say that I don’t have very good hopes that we are going to find him.

Water Police at Milang on Saturday before commencing today’s search. Picture: Mike Burton

“Their experience is that they could just float on their back and they could dog paddle.”

He revealed more details about the two men, saying they were believed to be from Sri Lanka.

They often came to the Milang area with friends to fish for carp.

Locals have rarely seen them approach the water. It was believed Friday was the first time the pair had been out on Lake Alexandrina.

“Given the temperature, they probably decided to go out and have a fish on the lake,” Superintendent Sickerdick said.

The missing man has a wife and a daughter aged 8.

“For those who don’t understand what the lake can be like, it is very similar to the (ocean) coastline,” Superintendent Sickerdick said.

“The lake itself is very shallow. When I say shallow, it’s probably about 2m in some areas. However there are a lot of troughs out there.

“Given that, with the winds that change and the size of the lake, the winds can come up at any time and if they do ... the conditions are really, really bad.”

#BREAKING: There are grave fears for a man missing in Lake Alexandrina at Milang.

Two men in an inflatable canoe were reported missing this morning, with search crews finding one of the men alive just before 3:00 pm. #9News pic.twitter.com/JV05GFH73Y

— 9News Adelaide (@9NewsAdel) November 27, 2020

A man has been rescued but another is still missing after a canoe capsized on Lake Alexandrina, near Milang. Picture: Nine News