Two Men Fishing in Aqueduct Drown : Tragedy: Authorities say the pair slipped into the water in a fenced-off area after passing a warning sign.

Two men fishing in a restricted California Aqueduct canal near Gorman drowned when one slid down a slick concrete bank and the other fell into the turbulent water in an apparent effort to save him, authorities said Thursday.

The Quail Canal is gated, surrounded by a low fence topped by barbed wire, and there are numerous warning signs, investigators said. To get to the site where they were fishing, the victims had to pass a sign saying, “STAY OUT OF AQUEDUCT. YOU MAY DROWN.”

The incident Wednesday night forced the state Department of Water Resources to stem the water flow in the aqueduct and shut down a power plant at nearby Pyramid Lake for about 12 hours while Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department divers searched the murky water for the bodies.

Deputies said the victims--Andrew Michael Wiley, 32, and Stoney Lee Poynter, 43, both of Lancaster--fell into the 20- to 30-foot-deep concrete-lined waterway about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Their bodies were recovered by the divers Thursday morning.

A third Lancaster man, John Morris, told deputies that he and the two victims were fishing off the banks of the 150-foot-wide, V-shaped canal, about a mile east of the Golden State Freeway. Morris said he had just walked up the bank when he heard a splash and a call for help.

Morris told deputies that as he returned to the canal he saw Wiley in the water and threw a duffel bag to him, Wiley went under as he reached for the bag. Deputies believe that Poynter fell in the canal first and Wiley tried to save him.

Morris said he flagged down a car and asked the driver to call for help. County firefighters, paramedics and California Highway Patrol officers arrived about 10 minutes later.

One firefighter, Bob McCullough, slipped on the algae and slid down the aqueduct’s concrete wall while looking for Wiley and Poynter about 1.5 miles downstream from where the two men fell into the water. McCullough, who was unhurt, said he stopped himself from sliding completely intothe water by jamming his steel flashlight into the grooves of the aqueduct’s wall and holding onuntil his partner could pull him to safety.

A CHP officer and a paramedic taking part in the search for the victims also slipped and fell into the water.

CHP Officer Joe Sandival said he slipped when he walked to the water’s edge to get a closer look at what he believed was a piece of clothing floating in the water. Paramedic Robert Warren fell into the aqueduct when he tried to grab Sandival’s hand, the CHP officer said. Sandival said he swam back toward the aqueduct wall and extended a baton he was carrying to Warren, who was drifting toward the middle of the channel. Continuing to pull Warren toward shore, Sandival extended his other hand to a firefighter on the concrete bank, who with the help of two other firefighters had formed a human chain and pulled Sandival and Warren out of the aqueduct.

“I was concerned, there’s no doubt,” said Sandival, who explained that he and Warren were in the canal about two minutes before they were pulled out. “I’m not going to lie, there was a little bit of fear. I thought, ‘Are those guys going to pull me out or what?’ ”

Authorities said the canal is dangerous because four large culverts carry water from Quail Lake under California 138 and into the canal. The force of the water entering the canal creates turbulence and a whirlpool effect that could drag someone under, said Bruce Jackson, a Department of Water Resources supervisor.

“The way the water comes up from underneath, there is a lot of turbulence and pull,” Jackson said. “If you are on the surface it will pull you right down. It is dangerous. That’s why we have it closed off to the public and we patrol it every day.”

Jackson said there were no previous drownings in the 2-mile-long canal, and Wednesday’s accident caused the water flow in the 20-year-old waterway to be shut off for the first time. The interruption caused no water delivery problems, he said.

Jackson said that fishing is allowed at Quail Lake, just across the highway, but fishermen still routinely hop the fence and fish in the canal. They are often chased away by state police patrols.

“It’s pretty hard to believe people want to fish here,” Jackson said. “It’s so dangerous it is unbelievable. And there are fish just as big across the street in the lake. But, you know fishermen. They are always looking for a better spot.”

Times staff writers Amy Louise Kazmin and Nieson Himmel contributed to this story.