North Carolina officials are searching for a swimmer who went missing in Lake Norman on the Fourth of July.
Officials are focusing the search on an area called The Sandbar, a popular gathering place for boats west of Cornelius.
"Our officers are currently investigating the boat incident," the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission told Newsweek. "There is one missing boater. Local fire and rescue agencies are conducting the search. We hope to have more information once the missing boater is found."
Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue said on Facebook it is working alongside Huntersville Fire Department, Denver Fire Department and other agencies to respond to a "drowning incident."
Huntersville Fire Department and Denver Fire Department both provided fire boats to assist with the search.
"First responders are back out today, continuing the search from yesterday on Lake Norman. Many worked well into the night last night on this search," the Huntersville Fire Department said in a Facebook post.
The Cornelius Police department urged boaters to avoid the area around The Sandbar as the search continues.
"It is crucial to keep the water as calm as possible to ensure our sonar equipment can be most effective in the ongoing search and rescue efforts" Cornelius police said on Facebook.
Police thanked the public for their "cooperation and understanding."
Officials have not released the identity of the missing boater.
Lake Norman spans 32,510 acres and has a maximum depth of 110 feet. Created between 1959 and 1964, it is the largest man-made body of water in North Carolina. The lake runs through Iredell County, around 40 miles north of Charlotte. The body of water is sometimes called the "inland sea" of North Carolina.
Search and rescue crews recovered the body of a missing boater from Lake Norman near The Sandbar around the same time last year.
Officials located the body of 16-year-old Keith Austin on July 2, 2023, one day after he went missing, The Charlotte Observer reported. The South Mecklenburg High School student drowned in the lake. He played rugby and had "an infectious smile," the high school wrote on Facebook.
The body of another boater, 49-year-old Anthony Barnes of Mooresville, was found near The Sandbar just two weeks later on July 16. That search effort lasted several hours, beginning at around 7 p.m. and ending when the recovery was announced at 11:30 p.m.
Barnes was a passenger on a personal watercraft when it capsized near The Sandbar. The operator of the watercraft returned safely to the surface, but Barnes did not.
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Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Jenna joined Newsweek ... Read more
