Boy, 12, taken to hospital after divers pull him from Blue Marsh Lake

A 12-year-old boy was found underneath 6 feet of water in Blue Marsh Lake on Saturday and taken to the hospital an hour after his family saw him struggling offshore, according to park officials.

The boy, whose name and hometown were not available, was about 40 feet from shore and about 100 feet from the lake’s designated swim beach in Bern Township when he was located, according to Chief Ranger Jeff Piscanio.

The boy’s family had called for him to come in at about 2 p.m., but he disappeared under the water a short time later, the family told responders.

The family alerted rangers at the beach, and they began a search with local emergency crews, dive teams and the Coast Guard, Piscanio said.

A diver found him at about 3 p.m.

He was taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital, but further details on his condition were not immediately available.

Swimming is allowed in most parts of the lake, including the area where the incident took place, but Blue Marsh encourages the use of lifejackets by boaters and swimmers, and the boy was not wearing one when he went under, Piscanio said.

There are no lifeguards at the lake, so those who swim do so at their own risk.

The rescue area was cordoned off while the search took place.

Further information was unavailable Saturday afternoon.