Authorities have recovered the body of a 29-year-old man who went missing after falling from an inner tube that was being towed behind a boat on Norris Lake on Sunday afternoon. The incident occurred near Sugar Camp Lane in Sharps Chapel in Union County, a press release said.
The victim, whose identity is being withheld until relatives are notified, was riding on an inner tube that was being towed behind a rented pontoon boat that was operated by a single occupant, the press release said. According to investigators, the victim fell from the inner tube around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. After a failed rescue attempt, the operator got help from nearby citizens who were also unsuccessful at locating the victim,
Rescue crews from Union County and Paulette Rescue Squads were joined by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency investigators who used a remote operated vehicle, or ROV, to find the victim in 60 feet of water at about 8:05 p.m. Sunday.
Neither the victim nor the operator were Tennessee residents, the press release said.
It said state boating laws require anyone being towed on an inner tube, skis, wakeboard, or similar device to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved and properly fitted life jacket and that there be an observer onboard to watch the person being towed.
The release said the incident remains under investigation by the TWRA.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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