Officials confirmed search crews found the body of a missing man who was on a boat that capsized near the Cheatham Dam.
Crews could be seen out on the water Sunday, and they confirmed they found his body around 5 p.m. The man, identified by a TWRA official as 33-year-old Adam Vongsa, drowned when the boat capsized Saturday.
It appears crews are still searching for that boater. I'll post updates as I get them @NC5 pic.twitter.com/de26eCbcO5
— Alex Brown (@BrownEAlex) May 15, 2016
“They were releasing some water through the gates, and the boat got caught up in the current and they got thrown out,” said Cheatham County Emergency Director Edwin Hogan.
Two of the three people on the boat were able to get out of the boat and get to safety.
“There’s quite a bit of under current when water is going through the gates, and it just got caught up in that swirl and threw them out," Hogan said. "The two that got out had their life jacket on. This gentleman was a little bigger of a guy and didn’t have it buckled up.”
Divers w/Montgomery County are fighting swift sub-surface currents while helping in the search. pic.twitter.com/huojbi9Ytn
— Alex Brown (@BrownEAlex) May 15, 2016
According to preliminary information, authorities received a report of the capsized boat around 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Ashland City Fire Chief Chuck Walker said a search quickly got underway for Vongsa Saturday.
Chief Walker w/ Ashland City FD estimates this area of the Cumberland that crews are searching is about 18 ft deep. pic.twitter.com/zE53AOBN0S
— Alex Brown (@BrownEAlex) May 15, 2016
Rescuers searched the banks and the area around the boat, but were not able to find Vongsa's body Saturday.
Search and recover underway for missing boater at Cheatham Dam, believed to have drown, life jacket found. @NC5 pic.twitter.com/eNBc03qWUY
— Jonquil Newland (@NC5_Jnewland) May 14, 2016
Divers and K-9's were brought in to assist in the search. Walker said Vongsa's life jacket was recovered.
“This will be the fifth fatality right here in the last probably ten years,” Hogan said.
Pieces of the boat were brought to the shore.
“Until we got the boat out, it was swirling right there in the area, so you know, it was just the current,” Hogan said.
Witnesses told police they saw the boat close to the dam near turbulent waters and saw it get pulled into the rushing waters.
