Fishermen’s drownings in Loxahatchee refuge ruled accidental

Two fishermen who drowned Sunday in the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in West Boca fell into the water by accident, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.

Celso Santizo Cobon turned 20 years old on July 31. His companion was Elizazar Aguilar Reynoso, 30, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office, which did not release the men’s hometowns.

Both were declared dead at the scene late Sunday afternoon by the county medical examiner’s office, which ruled their deaths as accidental.

The men were fishing with family members near the S-10A spillway, a mile west of Loxahatchee Road just north of the Palm Beach County-Broward County line, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The two men, who could not swim, fell into the water. Rescue efforts by an unidentified male family member were unsuccessful, and he called 911 for help.

Officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and marine deputies from the Sheriff’s Office recovered the victims.