Paddleboarder Found Dead After He Disappeared on Alaska Lake

A missing paddleboarder has been found dead in Alaska.

The incident occurred on DeLong Lake in Anchorage around 6 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 27, according to KTUU and Alaska Public Media.

“A beautiful day recreating on Delong Lake turned tragic when a person realized a friend out paddleboarding vanished,” the Anchorage Fire Department (AFD) said in a news release. The caller reported that the man, who has not yet been publicly identified, hadn’t been seen for about 15 minutes and wasn’t wearing a life jacket.

Fire department spokeswoman Megan Peters told Alaska Public Media that it was unclear if a life jacket would have saved his life.

He was last seen on a part of the lake that is about 22 feet deep, which is where officials found his paddleboard.

Divers with Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team “ultimately found the victim using sonar and made the recovery,” according to fire officials.

As their statement came to an end, officials encouraged everybody visiting Anchorage to “please be safe out there.”

“Sometimes, despite our diligent efforts, not all our incidents have a happy ending,” they added.

Although the man’s name has not yet been released, KTUU reported that he is a 21-year-old student from Romania.

A friend wrote on Facebook that the young man was a student visiting Alaska through the Work and Travel program, according to the outlet.

The program “brought him joy and peace,” Andreea Oprea wrote, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

The victim’s body has since been turned over to the State Medical Examiner, according to KTUU.

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A spokesperson for the Anchorage Police Department (APD) did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.