Bodies of two swimmers recovered Tuesday morning

By Paul Keane

The Wayne County News

After a search that lasted more than two days, the bodies of two

swimmers were recovered from the Chickasawhay River early Tuesday

morning.

According to reports, a group of four teenagers were swimming in the

river near Highway 42 in State Line Saturday when they were swept away

by strong currents.

Wayne County Emergency Management Director Angela Atchison said one of

the swimmers was able to get out of the water on their own and another

swimmer was pulled out by a Greene County Sheriff's deputy, both on

Saturday night. A search for the other two swimmers began immediately.

Teams from Clarke County, Lauderdale County, Wayne County and the

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks were called in

to assist. Some of the agencies brought boats with sonar in order to

search for the victims.

Atchison said at one point the current was so strong that divers could

not descend into the river out of fear of being pulled under themselves.

Agents with the MDWFP closed the Chickasawhay in order to limit boat

traffic that could stir up the waters and affect the sonars on the boat.

At one point, a search canine alerted on an area but it proved to be

something else.

Early Tuesday morning, the bodies of the two swimmers were recovered.

Names of the four swimmers were not being released.