Two women missing after their rafting group falls over Virginia dam

Agencies have been on foot, water and air

Lauren Winstead, 23, and Sarah Erway, 28 (Henrico County Police)

A search is underway for two women who went missing on a rafting trip after their group fell over a dam on the James River in Virginia, authorities have said.

Lauren Winstead, 23, and Sarah Erway, 28, were among a group of 12 people floating on rafts and paddleboards who came into trouble on Monday when they went over the Bosher Dam, about eight miles west of Richmond.

After the 12-foot drop, one of the rafters got out of the water and sought help at a nearby house, authorities said. Nine people were saved by kayakers and residents, including Finn Gardner.

“Someone came and banged on our window saying that their group went over the dam,” Mr Gardner, who lives nearby, told WWBT.

“We ran out there, and we were trying to help get people out of the water and make sure that everyone was accounted for.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t find two of them”.

Ms Winstead and Ms Erway were still missing as of Wednesday morning as police correspond with their families.

Henrico County’s assistant fire chief Jeffrey Segal said the search for the two women stretched long into the night on Monday, but without any progress.

The search resumed on Tuesday morning, Henrico County police said in a news release, with agents on foot, water and in the air.

“Multi-agency search underway while officials are getting updates from those in the field actively searching for two missing females by air, water, and on foot,” the police department said.

“Please remember that portions of the James river is at dangerous levels and anyone entering should use extreme caution!”

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.