A 40-year-old man drowned Sunday while tubing on Lake Allatoona, officials said, one of two deaths reported at the lake over the past two weeks.
Game wardens responded around 2:25 p.m. after getting a call about a boating accident with a person missing near Little River Marina, one of the most popular areas of the lake, according to Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark McKinnon.
When investigators arrived, they learned a boat had been pulling Robbie Cornelius, of Marietta, on an inner tube that afternoon when he fell into the water. Officials said he immediately complained of leg pain and was not wearing a life vest.
“Several individuals jumped in the water attempting to rescue him but had to leave him when he began to pull them under,” McKinnon said.
According to officials, Cherokee County deputies and firefighters were also called to the scene. Using a side scan SONAR device, game wardens and fire crews continued searching the lake for several hours.
At about 5 p.m., the victim was found and recovered by divers in 16 feet of water. McKinnon said Cornelius’ body was then taken to the county coroner.
On May 30, the body of a 23-year-old man was located in 10 feet of water in Lake Allatoona, less than two hours after he was last seen swimming in the Cooper’s Day Use Area in Bartow County.
Two other deaths were reported on Lake Lanier in recent weeks, including a 76-year-old Gainesville man who drowned Wednesday. Crews found his body in 13 feet of water after he was last seen at his dock in Forsyth County near Keith Bridge Park.
On May 29, officials said a man who was fishing with his wife drowned after falling from his boat. Investigators believe the 73-year-old tried to sit in the bass boat, but the seat became unbolted from the bottom, causing him to fall into the water.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, two people drowned in Georgia, but neither were in Lanier or Allatoona, the DNR previously said.
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