WABASHA, MN — A community support fund has been started for the families of three people killed in a weekend boat crash on Lake Pepin. The crash happened late Saturday, July 11, when a 27-foot pontoon boat collided with a barge.
All three victims were from Wabasha. Two of them, Manuel De Angel-Sola, 52, and Nicholas Loechler, 46, were members of the Wabasha Fire Department.
Victims Identified By Officials
The third person killed was Ashley Monson, 37. Three other people were rescued after clinging to the overturned pontoon boat in the water.
Wabasha Mayor Emily Durand said the deaths hit the community hard and described the three victims as service-minded people who were active in the town.
Fundraiser Aims To Ease Costs
The fundraiser is being run through GoFundMe. It is intended to help with funeral and memorial expenses, along with other financial needs facing the families.
Hundreds of people gathered Monday evening at St. Felix Catholic Church in Wabasha for a vigil honoring the victims.
Crash Investigation Continues
The Pepin County Sheriff’s Office said it received a late-Saturday report of people screaming for help on Lake Pepin. Responders found three people on the overturned pontoon near a YMCA Camp on Deer Island in Pepin County.
A search on Sunday turned up the three missing people in the lake. The bodies were taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in St. Paul for autopsies, and the crash remains under investigation.
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