A man is missing and presumed to have died after tipping his kayak and falling into the water at Harrison Bay State Park, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The 27-year-old Ooltewah, Tennessee, man and his girlfriend were swimming and kayaking at a popular swimming area near the Harrison park’s marina.
Witnesses told TWRA officers the man was about 20 yards from shore in ten feet of water when he fell off the kayak and struggled.
A nearby park ranger and an off-duty Chattanooga police officer along with several others got in the water to help the man, but he went under the water and did not resurface. The man was not wearing a life jacket.
Divers are searching and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is using a remote operated vehicle to search for the missing man, officials said.