7-year-old drowns after falling off float

SOUTHPORT — A diver pulled the body of a 7-year-old boy from the water next to a float where the child had tried to get a pail of water.

Evan Drinkwater was found about eight feet from the float Saturday evening, about two hours after he had been reported missing, said Ronald Dolliver of the Maine Marine Patrol.

The boy died at a hospital after efforts to revive him had failed.

The Coast Guard, the state Marine Patrol, state game wardens and volunteers searched in the dark for Evan. He was reported missing about 20 minutes after he had left his house to get the water.

“He either slipped, or the bucket of water was heavy and pulled him in,” Dolliver said.

The float was at the end of a ramp that extends into the water from land.