The number of drownings in the Great Lakes are up this year, according to a new report by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
So far this year, 79 people have drowned and four people are reported missing in the Great Lakes. Approximately half of those drownings occurred in in Lake Michigan.
"2016 is on track to be the worst year for Great Lakes drowning statistics since the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP) began tracking drownings in 2010," said Dave Benjamin, the GLSRP Executive Director.
Since 2010, there have been 245 drownings in Lake Michigan and 517 in all five of the Great Lakes. 2012 was the worst year on record for both Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes.
