Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said it’s highly improbable that anyone survived as efforts resume to locate three boaters on Pickwick Lake as the search becomes a recovery mission.
school students and their adult chaperone after they went missing over the weekend at a fishing tournament in Hardin County.
Obion County Schools superintendent Tim Watkins said two Obion High School students and the father of one of the students were at Pickwick Landing State Park for a fishing tournament Sunday. The group had trouble with the boat’s engine before the tournament started, and others at the lake thought they took the boat out and went home.
However, Watkins said they ended up trying to go ahead and compete. Authorities were notified as soon as it was discovered they were missing.
TWRA and multiple other local agencies have been searching for two 15-year-old Obion High School students and their 43-year-old chaperone since they went missing during a fishing tournament over the weekend in Hardin County.
TWRA says the boaters went missing Saturday, but they were not reported as missing until 9 p.m. Sunday.
The managed boat was recovered Monday below the dam near Savannah – but no sign of the boaters.
Five boats and 100 volunteers were back out on the waters Tuesday actively searching for the missing boaters – but now, TWRA says it’s likely no one survived.
“Given the situation, water conditions and temperatures, and length of time passed, it is highly improbable that anyone survived the accident,” TWRA said in a statement.
A family member told Tennessee River Valley News that they are “heartbroken” to hear those words that this may be a recovery mission.
The TWRA said the TVA is discharging 184,000 cubic feet of water per second, which has brought difficulty to the search.
UPDATE (2/25/20)
The search for three missing boaters on Pickwick Lake resumed Tuesday.
Two 15-year-old Obion High School students and their 43-year-old chaperone went missing in Hardin County over the weekend while competing in a fishing tournament.
The managed boat was recovered Monday – but no sign of the boaters.
Five boats and 100 volunteers were back out on the waters Tuesday actively searching for the missing boaters. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has narrowed down their primary search area between the Pickwick Dam and the Savannah Bridge.
TWRA’s Amy Spencer said one thing that’s improving in the search are the river conditions. She said the river and the flow are both going down every hour.
“We are still dealing with a dangerous situation,” Spencer insisted.
The TWRA said the TVA is discharging 184,000 cubic feet of water per second, which is bringing difficulty to the search.
FOX 17 News will continue to update this story as it develops
