Three children are dead after a yacht full of people watching fireworks capsized near the Long Island Sound late Wednesday night.
The bodies of 11-year-old Harley Treanor, 8-year-old Victoria Gaines and 12-year-old David Aurelino were pulled from the vessel’s cabin, police said.
The victims were among 27 people onboard a 34-foot Silverton yacht when it tipped over just after 10 p.m in Cold Spring Harbor Bay near Oyster Bay, authorities said.
“It was a lot of people in the water. It was a tremendous response by multiple agencies,” said Inspector Kenneth Lack with the Nassau County Police Department.
The boat initially went down in about 21 feet of water, but then drifted and then ultimately sank in about 60 feet of water, officials said.
The 24 other passengers were rescued from the water and taken to the hospital.
Only some of 27 onboard were wearing life preservers, officials said.
“It is a requirement that on a boat, if you have five people on the boat, you need five jackets,” said Detective John Azzata with the Nassau County Police Department Homicide Squad. “So if you have 27 people, we have 27 life jackets. That’s for all people on the boat.”
Azzata said they have not been able to determine if there were 27 life jackets onboard because the boat is still under water.
Investigators said there are a number of factors that may have contributed to the boat’s capsizing.
“It could be a combination of weather, we had some severe weather pass through this evening,” said Lack. ”It could be there was a tremendous amount of boats from the Fourth of July, could have been a wake from another vessel, that’s all under investigation right now.”
Azzata also said investigators are also looking into whether overcrowding on the boat may have played a role.
He said the boat had two operators and said alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the accident.
“There is no evidence or suspicion of any type of intoxicants being utilized,” Azzata said.
Crews are now working to recover the yacht from the water.
(Source: WCBSTV)
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One Response
This tragedy should never have happened. It does not appear to be weather related, and certainly having the outrageous number of 27 passengers aboard was a factor. This boat might not have even had the room to stow the 27 life jackets that would have been required.
Owner stupidity doesn’t make this any less tragic. Common sense and extra safety prudence are required for family outings.