Missing victim found dead after Fourth of July boat crash on Herrington Lake

MERCER COUNTY, Ky. — Authorities in Mercer County brought closure to a family on Monday following a large-scale water search for their missing son. Around 3:50 p.m. on July 6, officials with the Mercer County Fire District released the tragic news that the body of 25-year-old Nazar Svvintizelskiy, who had gone missing when a wake boat allegedly struck a pontoon and injured three others, was recovered by search teams. The crash happened around 8 p.m. Saturday, according to Mercer County emergency personnel. One person was airlifted to UK Hospital, and three others were transported by ambulance to a hospital in Danville. Officials have not released an update on their conditions. Multiple agencies spent the past two days searching the lake from sunrise to sunset. Specialized sonar teams with Christian Aid Ministries joined the effort to search waters more than 200 feet deep. "They are able to search in deeper waters than what we have capabilities of doing," said Mercer County Fire Chief David Goodlett. "They're searching, taking videos, and we're bringing it back in and they're streaming and looking at it." Investigators are also reviewing surveillance videos from homes overlooking the lake in an effort to narrow the search area. Chief Goodlett said the search began immediately after the crash but was complicated by heavy boat traffic. "There was a lot of boat traffic on the lake," Goodlett said. "So it took a lot of maneuvering around a lot of people." Nearly two days after the man went overboard, officials said they no longer believed they were searching for a survivor. "If he's been under water that long, I don't think he's alive, but we're just trying to search for his body at this point," Goodlett said. The Mercer County Sheriff's Office said the operator of the boat that collided with the pontoon boat was turned over to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife the night of the crash. Officials have not released additional information about the investigation. A GoFundMe has been set up for one man who was injured. According to the page, he is in a medically induced coma. Authorities said Nazar's body was found in 184 feet of water and had been taken to the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for an autopsy. "The Mercer County Fire Department would like to send our deepest condolences to Nazar’s family and praying for continued healing of Nazar’s father," Mercer County firefighters wrote on Monday afternoon. "[The search] took tremendous teamwork for a horrible incident, and we thank everyone involved again."