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Decatur man dies after his boat sank in Chickamauga Lake

The TWRA said a second boater was able to swim to shore when it happened.

MEIGS COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said a man died Saturday afternoon after his boat sank on Chickamauga Lake near the Cottonport Marina.

According to the TWRA, officers were dispatched around 1:20 p.m. to the lake.

Officers said two people were in a johnboat when it sank in 6 feet of water in Johns Slough, just south of the marina. A nearby angler heard the commotion and tried to help them.

One of the boaters was able to swim to shore, but the other was pronounced dead after Meigs County officers, the TWRA and several good Samaritans helped recover them.

The TWRA identified the victim as 55-year-old Michael Thomas from Decatur. 

The TWRA said it's not known why the boat sank yet and is still investigating, saying Thomas was not wearing a life jacket.

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