Williams, MN- Authorities say a faulty boat engine killed two men and hospitalized a third on Lake of the Woods in northwest Minnesota late Sunday.
Lonnie Ray Norberg, 44, and Jeffrey Edward Wheeler, 35, both of Champlin, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a boat on Lake of the Woods late Sunday night, according to preliminary autopsy results released Tuesday by the Lake of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office has called the deaths an accident.
The investigation indicates that a faulty exhaust system on the engine may be the cause of high levels of carbon monoxide, according to Sheriff Gary Fish.
A third man, Christopher Andrew Klick, 43, of Crystal, survived the accident and is hospitalized at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D. An Altru Hospital spokesperson said Klick was in satisfactory condition Tuesday evening.
The incident was reported about 11:30 p.m. Sunday near Birch Beach, north of Williams, according to the sheriff’s department.
At the scene, authorities discovered the bodies of Norberg and Wheeler. Klick was transported by Lake of the Woods Ambulance to LakeWood Health Center in Baudette.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues to assist with the investigation.
Lake of the Woods is a popular fishing lake that straddles the U.S.-Canadian border in northwest Minnesota. Champlin and Crystal are Minneapolis suburbs.