BECKLEY, W.Va. -- Rescue crews searched Sunday for three fishermen who have not been seen since their boat overturned on the New River in southern West Virginia, but by late evening, the search was being called a recovery mission.
Chief Ranger Jeff West said Sunday night "there's always a chance but just not much of one" that the three survived given the cold water, the rapid river flow and no signs that the men emerged.
The park service said in a news release that it received a report at 5:09 p.m. Sunday that a Joan boat carrying five fisherman capsized on the river. Two of the men were able to swim to shore, but the other three went missing.
The river was flowing at about 9,600 cubic feet per second and the water temperature was about 50 degrees.
About 30 people took part in the search from the park service, the West Virginia State Police, the state Department of Natural Resources, a diving team and nearby volunteer fire departments.
West said the search was suspended after four hours due to darkness and the high volume of water flowing down the river. It would resume at 8 a.m. The Army Corps of Engineers planned to reduce water flow from Bluestone dam to assist search teams.
West said he is not sure when the five, four of whom are from West Virginia and one of whom is from Virginia, began their fishing trip. The men's names were being withheld pending notification of family.
The boat was in the middle of the river when it capsized, and it was found a few hundred feet away, lodged in some rocks at the bottom of the river. The survivors said they believed the boat flipped over at about 4:50 p.m. The area falls under the park service's supervision because it is part of the New River Gorge National River, which is some 50 miles southeast of Charleston.
West said divers used cameras to examine the boat but found no signs of the missing men.
He said the fishermen had life-preservers onboard but the survivors didn't recall anyone wearing them.
West said there's always a chance that the men were carried downstream and managed to get out of the water and walk to safety, but it seems unlikely.
"That's where the hope is," he said.
