Capt. Robert McCullough with the state Department of Natural Resources said Sunday that crews continue surface and air searches in efforts to find the body of a 73-year-old boater lost Feb. 21 when his boat capsized and sank between Eagle Point and Lakevue Landing.
A 52-year-old man on board was also killed during the incident, which happened about 2 p.m., according to nearby witnesses. Those witnesses attempted to throw the elder boater a life jacket, but he was reportedly unable to get to it. They were able to pull in the younger boater, and unsuccessfully attempted CPR.
Clarendon County Dep. Coroner Bucky Mock said he will not release the men's names until the second victim is recovered.
McCullough said that cold water temperatures are likely keeping the man's body from floating to the surface after more than a week missing.
"That's definitely affecting it," he said. "Once temperatures warm up for a few days, we believe the body will float to the surface, and our crews will be able to retrieve it."
Manninglive.com received conflicting reports in the last week that the search had been called of completely, but McCullough said that is not the case.
"We have continued to search by boat and by air," he said. "High winds last week did not affect that search. The search is made more difficult by the cold waters and the depth. But we are confident with warmer temperatures that the man's body will rise."
"This is a tragic situation and we are just wanting to bring some closure to the families," he said.
