Dive teams spent much of Saturday searching for two missing boaters, ages 27 and 30, believed to have drowned on Lake Robinson Friday evening. Officials say about 15 to 18 divers are canvassing the lake.
Crews are searching between Chesterfield and Darlington Counties near Sail Club Drive. At this time, officials say they're concentrating their search and recovery efforts on the portion of the lake that borders Chesterfield County near the McBee community. Some say Lake Robinson is about six miles long.
Friday evening, several people were on a pontoon boat on the lake when one man jumped in the water and another man went in after him, according to Major William Poole with the SC Department of Natural Resources.
Poole said neither emerged, and are presumed to have drowned.
Crews searched the lake for a few hours Friday evening, but called off the search after a lightning storm. They resumed about 9:30 Saturday morning.
The families of the missing men gathered at the Lake Robinson landing on Lake Robinson Road anxiously waiting for any new information, Saturday morning. They later retreated to a nearby church where deputies set up a command post. Officers say it's easier to relay information to the families when they're all gathered in one location.
Local churches and community stores are helping to supply dive teams, volunteers and first responders with food and water as they search the lake.
At this time, the victims names haven't been released but we're being told the men are good friends.
We'll continue to update this situation as more information becomes available.
