Two drown while swimming near High Top Wednesday afternoon

Emergency crews from two counties recovered the bodies of a pair of swimmers who drown in Laurel Lake Wednesday.About 3:30 p.m., Whitley County dispatchers received a 911 call reporting that two teenagers were swimming and did not resurface at the High Top boat ramp in Whitley County.
Dispatchers immediately alerted the Williamsburg-Whitley County Rescue Squad and the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department.
“Upon arrival, rescuers began searching with cadaver dogs, boats and underwater cameras. Search efforts were initially hampered due to the potential threat of severe weather in the area. The search is still underway for the missing swimmers,” the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management reported in a press release about 5:33 p.m. Wednesday.
Rescuers recovered the bodies of the two teenagers between 8 and 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Other agencies assisting with the search efforts included: the Laurel County Rescue Squad, the U.S. Forest Service, the Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife, Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department, 3-Point Volunteer Fire Department, Bald Rock Volunteer Fire Department, Whitley County EMS, and the Whitley County Coroner’s Office.