Henry Brooks, 46, of Hope, Maine, dove into the water when he witnessed his daughters pulled into deep waters at the Seven Tree Pond in Union.
A Maine dad drowned while trying to save his two daughters, ages 12 and 13, after they were swept into deep areas of a pond Saturday, officials said.
Henry Brooks, 46, of Hope, Maine, dove into the water when he witnessed his daughters pulled into deep waters at the Seven Tree Pond in Union. Brooks and his son, 27, jumped in to the water rescue them, however, only the son grabbed a life jacket, according to the New York Post.
The patriarch of the family drowned but his son managed to save his sisters, the Post reported.
The incident started Saturday after one of the daughters fell into the deeper part of the where pond meets a local river. Her sister tried to rescue her but also fell into the deeper water and both were swept further out by a current, leaving Brooks and his son to act, NECN reported.
Authorities say that game wardens, Union first responders, and the Knox County Sheriff's Office searched for Brooks, but were unable to find him, leading to a dive team to later be called in.
Around 7:30 p.m., three Maine Warden Service divers recovered Brooks' body about 50 feet from shore, not far from the dock where his son had brought his daughters back to safety, according to News Center Maine.
Authorities said they brought Brooks’ children to PenBay Medical Center in nearby Rockport, where they stayed the night for observation.
