Man drowns when boat overturns along Cayce Riverwalk

One man drowned after the boat he and another man were in overturned Saturday afternoon along the Cayce Riverwalk on the Congaree River.

Two men, in their 50s or 60s, were in a 10-foot motorless fishing boat that overturned sometime around noon or shortly thereafter, according to Robert McCullough, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

The body of the man who drowned was recovered from the water, McCullough said. The other man was taken to a hospital.

Saturday’s drowning was the 19th boating-related drowning in the state this year, McCullough said.

The two men had life jackets in their boat but were not wearing them at the time the boat overturned, McCullough said.

The men were boating just north of a boat ramp near the Cayce Wastewater Treatment Facility on a more lightly used portion of the river, McCullough said. Parts of the Cayce Riverwalk, not far from downtown Columbia, are popular for recreation.

Both men lived locally, McCullough said.

The Lexington County Coroner has not yet released the identity of the man who drowned.

Check back with thestate.com for updates to this story as they become available.

This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Man drowns when boat overturns along Cayce Riverwalk."