The search for the Massachusetts man who is believed to have drowned in Sebago Lake on Feb. 24 has been postponed due to problems caused by the cold weather.
“The search is suspended until more ice is cleared,” said Mark Latti, public information officer for the Maine State Warden Service.
“When we return is totally dependent on the weather,” he said on Wednesday.
Latti said five boats were out Tuesday night using sonar to search for Blanco’s body. Divers were sent when a reading detected something.
Latti said the ice was giving false readings and surface ice flows made it difficult for the boats.
Paul Blanco, 35, of Carlisle, Mass., and two other men were reportedly snowmobiling across frozen Sebago Lake Saturday night when they came upon a section of open water that went on for miles.
“They did not expect the ice to end and they were shocked when they came across open water,” said Latti.
Snowmobiles are capable of traveling across limited stretches of open water, known as skimming, if they maintain a high speed and do not attempt to turn, according to Latti. The two other snowmobiles made it across the span in the ice. The spot where Blanco went underwater was 100 feet from the shore.
Blanco’s snowmobile was found around 10:30 a.m. Sunday off Thompson’s Point near Sebago Lake State Park. Planes and fan-propelled air boats were used to scour the cold waters and shoreline.
The Maine WinterFest & Derby was taking place on Sebago Lake when Blanco went missing but organizer Tom Noonan said he was not registered for the derby.
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