Multiple boaters killed in overnight crash on Broad River, SC officials say
Editor’s Note: In the original version of this story, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources misidentified the number of people on a boat involved in a crash. The story has been updated to show two people were killed in the collision.
A deadly boat crash happened in the Midlands on Saturday night.
A man and woman in their 20s were killed and dive teams recovered a wrecked boat, said Capt. Robert McCullough of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Chapin resident Jamie Lindler, 27, and Irmo’s Andrew Bunnell, 28, were identified as the people killed, according to Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece.
A collision between two Jon boats happened at about 9 p.m. in the Broad River, McCullough told The State on Sunday morning. A 911 call about the wreck was made at about 9:45 p.m., Kneece said.
One of the Jon boats went over the top of the other watercraft in a section of the river that’s near Hill Creek, according to McCullough. That’s north of Columbia.
A search for the missing boat began Saturday night, and dive teams were on the scene Sunday morning before recovering the vessel, McCullough said.
There was no official word yet on what caused the crash.
Information on possible criminal charges also was not available, but the collision is being investigated by DNR officers and the coroner’s office.
Kneece said autopsies are pending.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 9:16 AM with the headline "Multiple boaters killed in overnight crash on Broad River, SC officials say."
