A family outing at Lake Oconee turned tragic after a grandfather drowned while wading with his young grandson, state park officials say.
According to a witness, the man was wading with his teenage grandson in a shallow area of a cove in Richland Creek on Sunday when he fell and did not reappear. Bystanders took the man out of the water and began resuscitation. He was pronounced dead in the hospital.
Lake Oconee is located in central Georgia near Eatonton. Further south, in Wilkinson County, authorities will continue their search on Monday for a man who drowned in the Oconee River.
Witnesses told state rangers that a grown man fell over in a canoe south of Balls Ferry State Park on Saturday September 4th. The man plunged into the river and never reappeared.
In addition to the two drowned people, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Department reports that rangers committed two boating accidents at 8:00 p.m. on September 5 and issued seven charges of boating under the influence during that long holiday weekend. Five of the BUIs were located on Lake Lanier in northeast Georgia.
The DNR vacation reporting period ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 6.
