Two men rescued after eight hours in Lake Erie

Two men fell from a jet ski and spent eight hours in Lake Erie before being rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard early Tuesday morning.

One man without a life-jacket clung to his friend, who was wearing one, as the two of them waited to be found. Both suffered severe hypothermia and were taken to hospital, according to Coast Guard officials.

The crew of the PeleeIsland ferry MV Jiimaan spotted the jet ski off the shores near Leamington around 9 p.m. Monday and contacted the Coast Guard's Marine Communications Centre.

A search and rescue crew in Amherstburgworked with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton along with the Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel Colchester Guardian to search for any survivors.

A United States Coast Guard helicopter joinedthe search.

By 12:30 a.m. Tuesdaythe Coast Guard Auxiliary crew heard cries for help during their search. Rescue crews quickly pulled the two men from the water, got them to an ambulance in Leamingtonand sent them to the hospital.

The men said they brought a cellphone with them, but it was secured to the jet ski, which they quickly lost after being dumped into the lake.