Search for man who went missing underwater in Lake Murray, SC officials say
A search for a missing man in the waters of Lake Murray that began Saturday afternoon continued Sunday, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
On Saturday afternoon, several people on a boat went into the water to assist a person in distress, South Carolina DNR said Sunday in a news release. One man did not resurface, according to the release.
It was not clear if the missing man was the person in distress or one of the would-be rescuers from the boat.
No other injuries have been reported.
The boat was in a Newberry County portion of Lake Murray, not far from the line with Lexington County, South Carolina DNR said.
It’s likely the efforts have gone from a rescue mission to an effort to recover the missing man’s body.
Members of the South Carolina DNR dive team were at the lake Sunday, and officials said that they used all available resources in the recovery effort.
In addition to leading the recovery mission, South Carolina DNR also is leading an investigation into the man’s disappearance in Lake Murray.
The average depth in Lake Murray is 41.5 feet, but it can go as far down as 200 feet, according to the South Carolina DNR. Lake Murray has 620 miles of shoreline and portions of it are located in Lexington, Richland, Newberry and Saluda counties.
At least two other water deaths have been reported in Lake Murray in April.
On April 11, Travers Antonio Berry was the 50-year-old Columbia resident who fell into the water from a dock on the Irmo side of the Dreher Shoals Dam, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said. Berry’s body was found about 2 hours later beneath a dock, according to the sheriff’s department.
Last Thursday, a missing woman’s body was recovered from Lake Murray by members of the sheriff’s department’s dive team after what appeared to be an accidental drowning, officials said.
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