LE CENTER — Two men died after they were thrown from an all-terrain vehicle and landed in Lake Sakatah in Le Sueur County.

Eighteen-year-old Zachary Robert Paulson of Kilkenny and 24-year old Derek Michael Brandvold of Waterville were on the ATV on Sakatah Lake Road in Waterville Township early Thursday when they lost control and were ejected.

The Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office says the bodies of both men were found submerged in the lake at about 4:30 a.m.

Sheriff David Tietz tells the Star Tribune the crash occurred about 45 minutes to an hour before the bodies were found and there are signs that speed was a factor. Neither man was wearing a helmet.

The accident is being investigated and autopsies are pending.