Body of Dearborn Lebanese who went missing in Lake Erie has been found

L'Orient-Le Jour

a day ago

Two days after the tragedy that occurred on Sunday, during which Hussein Afif Hassoun, a 23-year-old Lebanese native of Kfar Hatta in southern Lebanon and resident of Dearborn, Michigan, in the United States, was reported missing after drowning in Lake Erie, his body was found Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. (local time), according to a press release from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office (Michigan).
'On Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, members of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Marine Division resumed the search in the area where the boater was last seen in the water. During the search, an individual in the area reported locating a body at approximately 8:45 a.m. Members of the Marine Division went to the scene and recovered the body,' the statement said, adding that the 'victim was brought ashore and then handed over to the Lucas County coroner for examination.'
He contacted us on Tuesday early afternoon, and his uncle confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour that the victim was still missing. There is a seven-hour time difference between Lebanon and Michigan.
Hussein Afif Hassoun was with 'four other adults aboard a white Baja-type boat [designed for speed], several 100 yards east of the Sandy Creek/Sterling State Park boat channel,' according to a statement from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office issued Monday. 'When they jumped from the boat to swim, Hassoun began to struggle and sank,' the office narrated, while another statement specified that he 'was not wearing a life jacket.'
After the incident was reported at 5:49 p.m. (local time), the boat was escorted to shore by a fire department rescue boat, while divers began searching for the victim's body, the statement continued. The search was suspended at 11 p.m. due to 'dangerous waves' and resumed Monday morning with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol and dive teams.
'It breaks my heart. I've noticed that many people are unaware of the currents in the lake and don't really understand how easy it is to be swept away,' a commenter said Monday in response to the Monroe sheriff's office statement. Another noted that the lake was 'incredibly rough' on Sunday, adding that 'experienced boaters, fishermen, people who grew up here, etc., drown all the time' in this lake.
More than 50 drownings have occurred this year in the Great Lakes, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, cited by Detroit News. The city of Dearborn, nicknamed the 'capital of Arab America,' has hosted a significant Lebanese diaspora since the early 20th century, mostly from southern Lebanon, who particularly benefited from job opportunities offered by the Ford plant, located 10 kilometers east of Detroit.