Two teen brothers are missing after a kayaking accident during a hunting trip in Northern California.
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Andruw Cornett, 19, and Wesley Cornett, 17, were duck hunting in the Thermalito Afterbay on Saturday, Dec. 14, and authorities were notified when they did not return home.
According to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, “During the outing, Wesley entered the water to retrieve a duck he had hunted. While doing so, his kayak capsized, and Andruw observed him in distress.”
“Andruw quickly called 911 but reportedly told the dispatcher there was no time to wait for help. He then entered the water to try to save his brother. According to authorities, both brothers have been missing since the incident.”
Rescue efforts surrounding the kayaking accident include many local organizations, including marine units, search and rescue, dog teams, the California Department of Fish and Wild Life and CAL FIRE.
However, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office was clear that the public should not volunteer or attempt to involve themselves in the search at this time.
“We appreciate it, but at this time we are not requesting assistance from the public,” the office shared on Dec. 17. “We are receiving assistance today from several different law enforcement agencies from across Northern California. There are several boats out at the Afterbay searching today. We will provide an update as soon as it is available.”
ABC affiliate KRCRÂ later reported that authorities were shifting to a recovery operation.
“We are running a lot of sonar equipment trying to narrow down anomalies that we can further inspect with underwater ROVs, which are unmanned underwater vehicles, as well as divers,” said Sgt. Brian Evans of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit. “The search that we are doing right now is a recovery.”