Three tubers die, two missing after going over dam in US

Three people have died while two others were missing after a family went over the Duke Energy dam while tubing on the Dan River in North Carolina.

Nine family members went tubing on the Dan River on Wednesday night, just before dark. The tubes went over the Duke Energy dam in Eden at some point, according to Fox8.

Four people were rescued, three died and their bodies were recovered from the river while two are still missing.

Those rescued were Rueben Villano, 35, of Eden, Eric Villano, 14, of Eden, Irene Villano, 18, of Eden, and Karlos Villano, 14, of La Porte, Indiana.

According to the report, the bodies recovered were those of Bridish Crawford, 27, of Eden, Antonio Ramon, 30, of Eden, and Sophie Wilson, 14, of La Porte, Indiana.

Rockingham County officials identified the family members who went over the Duke Energy dam.

The missing people include Teresa Villano, 35, of Eden, and Isiah Crawford, 7, of Eden.

Rockingham County Emergency Services Director Rodney Cates says he believes the people on the tubes didn’t have a way to call for help, which caused the delay in rescue efforts.

Shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, a Duke Energy employee spotted four of the nine people at the bottom of the dam and called for rescue services. The Duke Energy dam is about an eight-foot drop, according to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.

Duke Energy reports that it is not a hydroelectric dam and does not have turbines. It’s a smaller impoundment dam. Cates does not know if any of the victims were wearing life jackets, and they are working to find out if the tubes were rented or owned by the family.

Crews will continue to search for the two missing people on Friday and will search Saturday as well, but will not use aircraft in the search on Saturday.