HOUGHTON — A 12-year-old boy from Lower Michigan was airlifted to a downstate hospital where his condition was unknown following a rescue effort in Lake Superior on Tuesday, the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies were dispatched at 2:33 p.m. to Big Traverse Beach in Schoolcraft Township for a report of four people drowning in Lake Superior.

An 8-year-old girl was swept out by the current and when three others tried to save her, they were also taken out by the current. Several people on the beach assisted with inflatable tubes and were able to get all four people to shore.

The 12-year-old was treated by first responders and then taken by Mercy Ambulance to Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital. He was later airlifted to the University of Michigan Children’s Hospital.