A 48-year-old Atlanta man pulled from Lake Lanier on Saturday during a family outing has died, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources official said Sunday.
Arsenio Urbano Santiago was visiting the beach area at Buford Dam Park with his family and swam past the designated swimming area before going under and not resurfacing, according to authorities.
Crews responded to the 911 call just before 4 p.m. The Gwinnett Fire Swiftwater Rescue Team found the man about 45 minutes later at the bottom of the lake about 50 to 60 feet from shore in about 8 feet of water.
The man was unresponsive and transferred to a nearby hospital in what officials called “a life-threatening condition.”
Hall County Fire Services crews joined responders from Gwinnett and Forsyth counties, DNR rangers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the rescue effort.
The park is located on the southern tip of Lake Lanier where Hall and Gwinnett counties meet.