Boat crash kills one as search continues for two people missing off Connecticut coast

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

The Coast Guard is leading a search and rescue mission for two young men after a boat slammed into a jetty at the mouth of the Connecticut River killing one person.

Nine people, all in their mid-20s and 30s, were aboard the vessel as it plunged into a Harbor One Marina jetty in Old Saybrook at a high rate of speed, before crumbling into pieces Monday evening, according to the authorities.

Police and fire services from the North Madison area responded around 9:15 p.m. to the Labor Day wreckage in the old coastal town 30 miles from New Haven, Connecticut.

Five women and one man were rescued and rushed to hospital – including the boat operator who is believed to be in critical condition.

One person was confirmed dead and pulled from wreckage, according to local news station WFSB. Three victims were not wearing life jackets, according to CNN. The name of the deceased victim has not been released.

Two men in their twenties were still unaccounted for, as of Tuesday morning. The Independent has contacted Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection with a request for more information.

“The search remains ongoing,” agency spokesman Will Healey told The Independent.

Goshen Fire Department deemed the crash as a mass casualty incident, with multiple passengers ejected from the boat. Upon arrival, the single motor boat was half submerged – yet still floating, Healey said.

The boat was inflicted with “significant damage” after it struck a break wall.

Helicopters and boats were deployed by the Coast Guard, with extended support from local search and rescue teams to bolster rescue efforts until about 2.30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

After a brief hiatus as the cover of darkness fell, the search continued at 7 a.m. A state police dive unit was expected to arrive at 10 a.m., with assistance from critical care transport service Life Star, to assist still in the search for the two missing men as of 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,” Captain Keith Williams of Deep said in a statement.

A video from Tuesday morning showed the wreckage of the mangled boat being removed from the water.