Boat Found on Severn River, Hunters Missing (Update)

Updated at 2:30 p.m.

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Rescuers are not holding out hope that two hunters who went into the icy waters of the Severn River will be found alive.

Witnesses called 911 about 10:50 a.m. Tuesday reporting someone was in the water 100 yards from shore near Beach Road.

Baltimore Coast Guard said in a release that two bystanders on shore reported they heard screaming and saw one person in the water go under and not resurface.

A separate report came in, which responders have correlated to the initial report, stating there are two overdue boaters.

A Coast Guard boat crew aboard a 45-foot response boat launched from Annapolis to search for the boaters.

Debris was found matching the description of what the two overdue boaters had aboard their 14-foot boat.

Maryland Natural Resources Police divers and Anne Arundel County firefighters recovered a jon boat from the river about 3 p.m.

Searchers earlier located a life jacket and decoys about 100 yards from shore, said Maryland State Police, which has a helicopter helping in the search.

About 1 p.m., Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Russ Davies said rescue efforts had switched to a recovery operation using surface search and side scan sonar.

Boat crews from Coast Guard Station Annapolis, Maryland Natural Resources Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department, Anne Arundel Fire and a helicopter crew from Maryland State Police are searching.

»Photos from search for missing hunter, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Fire and Maryland Natural Resources Police via Twitter