Mum the only survivor in kayaking tragedy that killed husband and three kids

A young mum is the only survivor of a tragic kayak accident that killed her husband and her three children.

Cari Mews-Fryman, 29, had travelled to Lake Superior in her home state of Wisconsin, US, with her husband, Eric Fryman and their children, Kyra, 9, Annaliese, 5, and Jansen, 3.

The group had visited the lake the year before and were excited about seeing it again, the survivor’s sister, Bobi Jo Mews, told local media.

The family had set out on a six-kilometre paddle across the lake from Madeline Island to Michigan Island when the wind picked up, capsizing the kayak.

Ms Mews-Fryman was able to text her sister a message of distress from her phone, which she had stored in a waterproof bag.

“I got a text message that said ‘911,’ and then immediately following, ‘Michigan Island’,” Bobi Jo Mews told WCCO.

“I knew that they were going kayaking that day… I just knew I had to call the police to see if they could go look for them.”

Nearly six hours after the accident, at 10pm, rescue crews located the young mother, who became separated from her family while trying to swim to shore.

A further two hours later, rescuers found Mr Fryman, 39, and the two youngest children dead in the frigid water. All of them were wearing lifejackets.

The body of nine-year-old Krya was located by National Park authorities on the shore of Michigan Island the following morning.

Coast Guard officials said hypothermia was probably a major factor in the deaths, especially of the children.

Bob Krumenaker, superintendent of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that it was a sobering reminder of the vastness and danger of the largest of the Great Lakes.

“Some of the places that people want to go kayaking are incredibly attractive but also deceptively dangerous,” he said.

“This particular incident happened in a place that is not often traversed by people on kayaks, and for good reason.

“You need to have a healthy respect for how cold the water can be.”

Paddlers crossing open water between islands can become exposed to strong winds and waves, he said. Storms can also come up fast, although the one that capsized the kayak was predicted in advance.

Lake Superior borders Canada to the north and is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America, measuring 560km long and 257km wide.