Victim Identified; Recovery Effort To Resume Friday

The effort to locate and recover the body of a man who fell off a raft on the Chattooga River on Wednesday will resume Friday, according to officials at the Long Creek Fire Station command post. Incident Commander Scott Loftis identifies the man as Thomas Patrick Hill, a resident of Florida. Loftis says recovery efforts will continue at 7:00 AM Friday. Crews will operate for up to 12 hours via land and boat. Aiding in the effort will be swift-water operators from the Tri-County Area. Rope technicians will come in from nearby Rabun County, Georgia as well as search and rescue officials from the Peach State. U.S. Forest Service personnel will provide support, as well. Medics and the South Carolina Aquatic Rescue Team helicopter will also be on site, if needed. WGOG News will provide the latest details on the events throughout the day on Friday.