ALPENA TOWNSHIP — An elderly man died today on Long Lake despite the attempts of local fishermen to rescue him.

The cause of death wasn’t immediately clear. Police did not release the man’s name or age, saying only he was elderly.

Shortly after 1 p.m. today, a man out fishing in his motorboat noticed a pontoon boat on the water that seemed to be having difficulty, according to police. Approaching the boat, the man in the motorboat discovered a man floating, not moving, in the water near the pontoon boat and a young woman in the pontoon boat in distress. The fisherman called 911 and attempted to tow the pontoon boat to shore.

Once responders arrived, other nearby fishermen were hailed from shore and requested to give two paramedics from the Alpena Fire Department and an Alpena Township firefighter a lift to the pontoon boat. The locals were eager to help with the rescue effort and quickly complied, Alpena Fire Chief Bill Forbush said.

While the medics, who had boarded the pontoon boat, administered CPR to the elderly man who had been in the water, the township firefighter drove the boat back to shore, where full efforts to revive the man were unsuccessful. The young woman on the pontoon boat was unharmed.

An East Grand Lake rescue boat was dispatched to the scene, but, because of the efforts of other boaters, the victim was back to shore by the time the rescue boat arrived.

Officers from the Presque Isle Fire Department, Alpena County Sheriff’s Department, Presque Isle Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources also responded in what Forbush called an excellent example of teamwork, strengthened by the assistance of citizens ready to help.

The incident remains under investigation.