Lake Lanier Drownings Lead Fourth of July Deaths

SOCIAL CIRCLE - For the most part everything was quiet on Georgia's waterways this Fourth of July Weekend.

Except for that large reservoir between Hall and Forsyth Counties.

Four of the five statewide drownings this weekend came out of Lake Lanier, an official with the Department of Natural Resources said.

"Very unfortunate weekend on Lake Lanier," Jennifer Barnes with the DNR said. "We had four drown on Lake Lanier and another in Effingham County."

The reason, according to Barnes, is the drought. All four drownings came from similar circumstances - inexperienced swimmers getting in over their heads close to the shore.

"The terrain below the surface is very unpredictable," Barnes said. "Because the water is down so low, that area you can usually wade in is back much further so you think you might be in safe territory."

The latest drowning came from an accident late Saturday night. Lung Mang, 21, and 23-year-old Tha Thang tried to free their pontoon boat after it got stuck on a sandbar. They fell into water that was over their heads and drowned. The two reportedly could not swim.

Hours earlier, 14-year-old Dago Bento Mejia, who was visiting the area from New York, was pulled from the lake after he went under 11 feet of water that was about 50 feet from shore.

The story from Friday is also similar - another teen, close to shore, getting in over his head without expecting it.

Forsyth County authorities say 17-year-old Aeriel Cotuc Chaudjay went under while wading in an area near Little Ridge Park. He apparently could not swim either.

"There being drop offs in the lake and a couple of those teens didn't know how to swim, its just unpredictable," Barnes said.

Lake Lanier is at the heart of Georgia's drought, falling to record low water levels this year. Experts say that means those that are not familiar with the lake and can not swim do not know what they are getting into.

"It's just unpredictable, you can't just step out into that and know where the bottom is because there could be a drop off around the corner," Barnes said.

The weekend drownings on Lanier put the year's total at five. Eight people drowned last year to go with six in 2006.

There were only a handful of boating problems during the Fourth of July Weekend. The DNR reports three boating incidents and seven boating under the influence.

Statewide, the DNR had 19 boating incidents and 28 BUIs.