A Biddeford man drowned Wednesday night when his kayak tipped over on a Sabattus pond.
Mateo Franco Cifuentes, 29, was paddling near the shore at Martin’s Point Park on Sabattus Pond about 7:50 p.m. when his kayak tipped over, spilling him into the water, according to Mark Latti, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Cifuentes, who wasn’t wearing a life jacket, didn’t know how to swim, Latti said Thursday morning.
A friend in another kayak and other friends and witnesses tried unsuccessfully to save Cifuentes, who went under the water and didn’t resurface.
Another bystander dove into the water and found Cifuentes’ body. First responders spent 45 minutes trying to revive him before Cifuentes died at the scene.
His death remains under investigation.