GREENVILLE, S.C. - The number of people that have died on the water in South Carolina has doubled this year.

South Carolina waters have taken 31 lives this year. That number is up from 14 last year. This reverses a downward trend seen since 1994.

State law enforcement officers are not sure what caused the increase, but Lt. Robert McCullough said 31 is still a small number for the 3,000 miles of coastline, 800 miles of rivers and 460,000 acres of lakes in the state.

But McCullough said 25 percent of these lives could have been saved if they had worn a life jacket.

He said the increase in deaths could be a result of fewer officers on patrol. Budget cuts in the past years have resulted in six dozen fewer officers patrolling the water.

The last time there were as many fatalities was 1997, when 34 people died. There were 30 deaths in 1995 and 1994.

Information from: The Greenville News