Boat Found, Fishermen Missing on Lake Marion

Crews are expected to continue their search on Lake Marion on Monday for two fishermen who have not been seen since launching their boat Saturday.

Authorities were notified around noon Sunday when Douglas Smith, 33, of Ravenel, and Michael Muse, 28, of St. Stephen, did not return home, according to Berkeley County Rescue Squad Chief Bill Salisbury.

The two men had packed camping equipment and set out on the Diversion Canal in Cross in their 14-foot aluminum boat.

A few hours into the search, the Department of Natural Resources identified the boat, overturned several hundred yards from the mouth of the canal, Salisbury said.

But the men were not found. The search Sunday included the DNR, the Berkeley County Rescue Squad, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and volunteers, including airplanes and a helicopter.

Crews will resume the search Monday morning.