1 dead, 2 missing in serious boating accident off the coast of Connecticut

One person was killed, two are missing and several others are injured in a boating accident on Labor Day in Connecticut, authorities said.

According to the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police, nine people were on the 31-foot motorboat at the time of the accident, which occurred around 9 p.m. on the Connecticut River near Harbor One Marina in Old Saybrook. The boat struck a dock at the mouth of the Connecticut River, sustaining “significant” damage, officials said.

One man was recovered dead and six people were taken to hospital for treatment on Monday evening, police said. The search for the two missing people was called off around 1 a.m. and resumed on Tuesday morning.

“We always hope for the best,” Captain Keith Williams of the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police said at a press conference Tuesday morning. “Based on the evidence we’re seeing in the early stages, there will most likely be a recovery.”

The driver of the boat is in critical condition, according to Williams. One person has already been released from the hospital, Williams said, but he is unsure about the condition of the others who were in the hospital.

The man found dead was found inside the boat, he added.

The boat was returning from a trip to Block Island and was still underwater Tuesday morning.

The North Madison Volunteer Fire Department said the missing people did not have life jackets and that several emergency responders and ambulances from towns surrounding Old Saybrook were assisting in the operation.

On Monday evening, an incident with many casualties was reported in connection with a so-called “serious maritime accident”.

“A mass casualty incident is an incident in which emergency services resources, such as personnel and equipment, are overwhelmed given the number and severity of the casualties,” said the North Madison Volunteer Fire Department in a follow-up statement on the incident.

No further details about the cause of the accident or the identities of the victims were released. Williams said the investigation was in its early stages, but he was not aware of any weather problems and the jetty was well marked.