Sunday Update From Chattooga River

Four divers from Oconee and Pickens counties have joined the recovery crew on the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River. The team is searching for the body of Thomas Hill, a Florida resident who fell from a raft last Wednesday and is presumed drowned. Incident Commander Keith Wilbanks says eighteen trained responders joined the effort Sunday from Anderson, Pickens, Oconee, Rabun and White counties. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is providing air support; six commercial river guides and U.S Forest Service personnel also are aiding the effort. All told, 216 personnel have been involved in the recovery operations according to Wilbanks. The river remains open Sunday to commercial and private boaters. The U.S Forest Service continues to ask paddlers to take out and portage around the Sockem-Dog rapid on river left to allow for continuity of operations.