Two Boats Collide Along Colorado River; 4 Missing Presumed Dead
Four people have been reported missing, and nine others were injured after two boats collided on the Colorado River.
San Bernardino County Fire District spokesperson Eric Sherwin said the four people reported missing are thought to be submerged. Officials are treating the operation as a recovery mission.
The boats involved in the incident sank into the river between two popular marinas and close to Moabi Regional Park, an area where the states of Arizona and California meet. Initial reports said only two people were missing, but the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office revised that number to four – three women and one man.
Investigators said 16 people were on the two boats. Other boaters were rescuing the people in the water, and two of the nine people injured were found to be in critical condition.
The sheriff’s office said none of the boaters were using their life jackets when the crash happened. The force of the collision caused some passenger to get thrown overboard with several of them being swept miles down the river.
Sherwin said collision victims were found up to five miles downstream from the impact.
Rescuers started looking for the missing right away, but recovery efforts were called off Sunday due to the river’s deepness and the dangers rescuers faced in the dark.
Mohave County authorities are investigating the crash to determine its cause, but it’s believed that darkness was a huge factor in the incident.
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