Two Boaters Die in Vessel Collision During Va. Bass Fishing Tournament

Two boaters died and two others were thrown overboard but rescued on Saturday in what appears to have been a head-on collision at speed between two vessels in a narrow curve with limited visibility in the lower end of Virginia’s Lake Chesdin.

The lake, known for good bass fishing, is an impoundment of the Appomattox River just west of Petersburg and south of Richmond. It’s 13 miles long, covering 3,100 acres and serves as a water supply reservoir for the Tri-Cities Area on the Chesterfield County-Dinwiddie line, administered by the Appomattox River Water Authority.

“Preliminary reports indicate two vessels collided, causing the operator and passenger of each vessel to be ejected into the water,” said Paige Pearson, spokesperson for Virginia’s Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). “Two individuals were rescued by a good Samaritan, and the other two boaters did not resurface. No lifejackets were worn.”

A law enforcement dive team recovered the…