Body of boater recovered after search at Fisk Pond area in Natick

Man, believed to be about 30, pulled from water late Saturday night after hours of searching

Late Saturday night, State Police divers recovered the body of a man whose canoe capsized in the Fisk Pond area in Natick hours earlier, according to officials.

Shortly after 7 p.m., Natick officials received a 911 call reporting that a small boat had capsized and that there were two people in distress in the Cochituate State Park area, Natick Fire Chief Jason Ferschke said in an e-mail.

Crews arriving at the park were directed to the body of water north of the local dog park, Ferschke said. The water was difficult to reach because an embankment in the area was “extremely steep” and very close to rail tracks, Ferschke said.

While crews on land were working to access the site, Natick Fire Department boats were deployed in the State Park, Ferschke said. Multiple divers from across the fire district were called to the scene, Ferschke said.

One man was assisted at the embankment and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Ferschke said. The man made it to shore on his own prior to emergency responders’ arrival, according to a statement from State Police.

The man said his friend was in distress and had not made it to shore, so the responding crews began a search and rescue operation, Ferschke said. A second dive team was requested from the Boston Fire Department, Ferschke said.

The victim, whose identity was not released, was located through a side-scan sonar around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, according to State Police. Divers then recovered the body, the statement said. The victim was about 30 years old, Natick police Sergeant Christopher Showstead said.