Man drowns in Lake Allatoona

A 32-year-old man drowned Saturday afternoon in Lake Allatoona in Cherokee County as he swam around a boat with his wife and children aboard, authorities said.

The man disappeared in the water about 4:30 p.m. near the Victoria Day Use area, a popular marina.

The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was from Colorado and out on a boat owned by a friend, said Cherokee County Fire Department spokesman Tim Cavender.

He was swimming circles around the boat when he appeared to become fatigued, and struggled to return, Cavender said. The water temperature was about 68 degrees, he said.

The Cherokee County Fire Department dive team, sheriff’s office and state Department of Natural Resources searched for the victim’s body. Divers were pulled from the water at about 7:30 p.m. DNR boats with sonar continued looking late into the night.

The divers were expected to return to the water about 9 a.m. Sunday if the victim is not found before then.

It was this year’s fifth drowning in Lake Allatoona and the first in the Cherokee County part of the lake.