Searchers continue to look for two in deadly tubing accident on North Carolina river

Two water tubers as of late-Friday remain missing after a deadly outing earlier this week in North Carolina which nine of them appeared to have went over a dam on the Dan River.

The incident occurred Wednesday. Three people have been found dead. Four were found the next day, after having spent the night in the water, as searchers continue to look for the two missing.

The 8-foot-tall dam belongs to Duke Energy.

A company employee on Thursday afternoon called 911 upon seeing some members of the group, said Rockingham County Emergency Services Director Rodney Cates, according to the Associated Press. 

The four known to have survived spent nearly 24 hours in the water and were taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries upon rescue. 

Air and water search continued until dark on Thursday and resumed Friday in an attempt to find the remaining two. The identities of the three who died in the accident have not been released. 

"We're going to stay positive that we can do a rescue rather than a recovery," Cates said Thursday night.

He also said it remains unclear why the rafters did not contact authorities sooner, although it may have been because they did not have phones with them.

The emergency director also said it's common for groups to tube down the river. However, typically people get out and walk around the dam, which is marked with signs.