Crews recover body of missing swimmer on Lake Norman

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Crews in Cornelius recovered the body of a missing swimmer over the weekend.

Investigators said someone called 911 just before 10:30 a.m. Saturday for a drowning on Lake Norman near Belle Isle Drive.

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Multiple departments responded to the incident between Belle Isle Drive and the McGuire Nuclear Plant. They learned the victim, 63-year-old Duane Andrew Strong, jumped from a moving sailboat to swim. But Strong started to struggle and, despite others’ attempts to save him, he drowned, officials said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the individual,” Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post.

Strong was not wearing a lifejacket, authorities said.

Crews with Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue were able to recover Strong’s body just after 6 p.m. Saturday. He was found not far from where he went underwater.

No further information has been released.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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