Bodies of remaining two missing Connecticut River boaters recovered
Old Saybrook ― The bodies of two missing boaters were recovered Friday afternoon not far from the site of the Labor Day crash that prompted a massive search effort.
One body was found by a pair of state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Environmental Conservation Police officers at approximately 12:10 p.m., EnCon police Capt. Keith Williams said during a Friday press conference at DEEP Marine Headquarters here.
Williams described the victim as a male in his mid-20s, but declined to identify him or his hometown pending notification of family.
The DEEP announced that the body of the second missing man was recovered from the water around 4:30 p.m. His identification is also being withheld pending notification of family.
Both bodies were recovered near the mouth of the Connecticut River, about halfway between the railroad bridge and Harbor One Marina, DEEP said.
The state Office of the Medical Examiner will now determine the cause and manner of their deaths.
On Wednesday, the DEEP identified the body of 34-year-old Christopher Hallahan, of Westbrook, one of the nine people aboard a 31-foot center console boat that officials said struck a breakwater at the mouth of the Connecticut River, near Harbor One Marina, shortly after 9 p.m. on Monday. Hallahan’s body was found in the boat.
Williams described the immense search and recovery effort involving local, state and U.S. Coast Guard agencies deploying underwater drones, dive teams and aircraft.
Williams said the first victim found Friday was discovered about a quarter mile from the crash location by EnCon police in a 20-foot search boat. The victim was not wearing a life jacket, Williams said.
He said the investigation into the crash is ongoing and he had no new information on the status of the surviving passengers. One of the victims, believed by Williams to be the operator and owner of the boat, was in critical condition as of Tuesday.
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