Sept. 3 (UPI) — A man is dead, two people missing and six others injured after a Labor Day boating excursion in Connecticut ended in tragedy, according to multiple reports.
“We always hope for the best,” Capt. Keith Williams of Connecticut’s Environmental Conservation Police said Tuesday morning at a press conference.
The victims’ identities or other details on the cause of the incident Monday night have yet to be released as an investigation continues, officials say. The search late Monday night was called off but resumed Tuesday.
“From what we’re seeing from evidence, early stages, you know, we’re hoping for the best, but at this point, it’s most likely going to be a recovery,” Williams said.
Six people on Monday night were taken to the hospital. Williams said early evidence indicated “it’s most likely going to be a recovery” effort.
Nine passengers were onboard the 31-foot vessel returning from Block Island when it hit a jetty around 9 p.m. EDT at the mouth of the Connecticut River near Harbor One Marina in Old Saybrook, according to authorities.
Local police responded at about 9:15 p.m. and found the boat floating half-submerged, a state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection spokesperson told CNN. It was removed from the water Tuesday morning.
According to Williams, the jetty was well-marked and weather conditions Monday night were “nothing out of the ordinary,” he said, with an incoming tide and a light breeze at the time of the accident.
But while the jetties are noticeable, “at night, it’s a different ballgame,” Williams said.
Officials say the night collision caused “significant” damage to the boat, officials said. The driver of the boat was last known to be in critical condition, and one other passenger has been released.
“Based on that much damage, I would say that the vessel was moving considerably,” Williams noted. A damage assessment, he added, will help in accident reconstruction.
One body of a man was located inside the boat. The two missing others reportedly did not have on life jackets.
“It’s just imperative, especially at night, when you’re coming back, and you’re out on Long Island Sound, to know where your markers are, know how to get in where the channels are,” Williams said. “That’s key to have a safe voyage and make it back.”
