Kayaker falls into NC mountain lake and vanishes. A body is found, searchers say
A body has been found one day after a man fell from his kayak and vanished in western North Carolina’s Lake Chatuge, searchers say.
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The kayaker has been identified as Michael Picklesimer of Blairsville, Georgia, according to the Clay County Progress.
“On June 9, just after 7:30 p.m., Clay County Fire & Rescue was dispatched to the Recreation Park Campground for a report of a man who had fallen from a kayak and was in distress,” county officials said in a Facebook post.
“Responders were advised that the victim had gone underwater and had not been seen for some time. … Search efforts continued throughout the evening utilizing boats, sonar, rescue swimmers, divers, and aerial resources. Unfortunately, due to the loss of daylight and approaching storms, incident commanders determined that it was no longer safe to continue.”
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The search was suspended just before midnight and resumed Wednesday morning.
A body was recovered around 8 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.
Picklesimer, 41, fell into the lake about 100 feet from shore, at a spot that is 80-feet deep, station WJRB reported.
The 7,200-acre lake is about a 210-mile drive southwest from uptown Charlotte, along the North Carolina-Georgia state line.
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