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Brothers’ bodies pulled from water of Raquette Pond

A state police helicopter and a rescue air boat prepare to pull a body from frozen Raquette Pond Monday in Tupper Lake. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

TUPPER LAKE — Two brothers from the Buffalo area died when their snowmobiles fell through the ice of Raquette Pond.

State police identified the two men as Stephen Sattler, 67, and Edward Sattler, 64, brothers from Blasdell, in Erie County. State police Sgt. John Neeley said the men had a camp in Childwold.

The men were out on snowmobiles and were reported missing late Sunday night.

Rescuers from the state police and state Department of Environmental Conservation were on the scene early Monday morning, staging at the Municipal Park on Raquette Pond. Using a state police helicopter, they located debris from the air.

The helicopter was on the ground at Municipal Park at 10:30 a.m. Monday morning, having marked the area where the debris was found. Forest Rangers and police were waiting for air boats to arrive on scene.

Forest rangers, environmental conservation officers and state police stage Monday in Tupper Lake's Municipal Park on the shore of Raquette Pond while searching for two missing snowmobilers. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

Once the air boats arrived, the helicopter relaunched and circled the area of debris for about 15 minutes. The rangers air boat made its way to the debris, while the helicopter left the area due to incoming weather. Once the second air boat arrived, a state police diver exited the boat and located the bodies of the two men, which were in the water about 30 yards apart.

Law enforcement removed them from the water and transported them by air boat back to the Municipal Park in Tupper Lake, where the coroner was waiting.

State police said autopsies were scheduled for Tuesday at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.

According to property deeds, Stephen Sattler and his wife Sharon bought the camp in the town of Piercefield for $45,000. The deed was recorded in the St. Lawrence County clerk’s office on Oct. 4, 2010.

The snowmobiles were not recovered.

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