9-year-old Geraldo Rodriguez died Thursday after drowning in Bangs Lake in Wauconda | Photo provided by the family.

The body of a 9-year-old boy who fell off a boat Friday evening on Bangs Lake in Wauconda has been located by divers Saturday morning.

The Wauconda Fire District was called around 7:25 p.m. Friday to the area of Edgewater Parkway and Monroe Avenue in Wauconda for a report of a water rescue.

Wauconda police said that two kids, ages 9 and 11, fell out of a paddle boat after it reportedly capsized.

The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated, bringing 20 other fire departments to the scene, including 12 divers and 15 sonar technicians.

The recovery operation resumed Saturday morning on Bangs Lake in Wauconda for the 9-year-old boy who fell off a paddle boat Friday evening | Photo by the Wauconda Fire District.

The 11-year-old was rescued by a nearby fisherman but the 9-year-old was still missing Friday evening when operations were declared to be in recovery mode.

The 9-year-old boy, identified as Geraldo Rodriguez, was recovered from the water by divers Saturday around noon.

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Fire officials said at a press conference Saturday afternoon that the two boys, who live nearby, were playing in the area when they decided to get into the paddle boat without permission.

Bangs Lake has since been reopened to the public, fire officials added.

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