A seventeen-year-old has drowned at a popular swimming spot at Eno River State Park.

Thursday afternoon, Lamont Burt was swimming with family and friends in the quarry at Eno River State Park near Durham. Eno River State Park Superintendent Keith Nealson says Burt went under, and he never resurfaced.

“He disappeared underneath the water and it took two or three hours to locate him,” Nealson said.

The quarry is a popular location for Triangle residents looking to cool off during the summer months. It’s about a mile hike through the woods from the nearest parking lot. Nealson estimates about 50,000 people swim in the quarry each summer. But, he says, they do so against the park’s guidance. Burt is the third person known to have drowned in the quarry.

“We marked all of the trails leading up to the quarry with large warning signs that state that we do not recommend you swim in the quarry,” Nealson said.

Nealson says there are many hazards for swimmers in the quarry, including rocks, trees branches and roots. In addition, he says, the quarry is very deep, and there is no lifeguard.

“There’s no shallow area,” he warned. “Through most of the quarry, it is a seventy-foot drop straight down to the bottom.”

The park is open and does not have plans to close or prohibit swimming at the quarry. Nealson says he will keep warning people the quarry is dangerous, but he expects he’ll continue to come across swimmers throughout the summer.

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