A family vacation for a Maryland family resulted in tragedy on Keuka Lake.
Ahmed Ayaz, of Catonsville, Maryland, was with his family on a pontoon boat on the lake Friday afternoon in the town of Urbana when he jumped into the water for a swim. According to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, Ayaz was unable to swim back to the boat and went underwater. The 19-year-old was not wearing a personal flotation device and never resurfaced.
After a ten-hour search, rescuers were able to locate Ayaz’s body using sonar and successfully recovered him using an underwater drone.
The Steuben County Mobile Crisis Team responded to the scene to provide treatment and counseling to the family and witnesses.
The Steuben County Sheriff’s Office Navigation Unit, working in partnership with the Navigation Units of the New York State Police; Livingston, Monroe, and Yates County Sheriff’s Offices; Hammondsport, Pulteney, and Wayne Volunteer Fire Departments and Steuben County Emergency Management worked to locate the person for recovery.
Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard thanked all the responding agencies for their cooperation and outstanding service. “Our hearts go out to the Ayaz family and our thoughts and prayers are for their recovery from this tragedy.”