Fourth of July Boating Accident: 2 People Dead, 3 Missing After Boat Capsizes in Ohio River

Two people are missing and 3 are dead following a pontoon boat accident on the Ohio River. According to authorities, 10 people were believed to be aboard the boat and that four were rescued after the accident shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday. The pontoon boat hit the Clark Memorial Bridge and capsized in the Ohio River. The incident was reported around 9:30 PM on July 4 just as crowds had gathered up and down the waterfront to watch the Independence Day fireworks. Four people were rescued, 3 of the those sent to hospitals are at Korsair Children’s Hospital and are believed to be in stable condition. The fourth was sent to University Hospital and is in unknown condition.

Kentucky authorities say three people were killed and three remain missing after the pontoon boat they were riding in hit the Clark Memorial Bridge and capsized in the Ohio River.

Louisville Fire Department spokesman Capt. Salvador Melendez told The Associated Press on Sunday that 10 people were believed to be aboard the boat and that four were rescued after the accident shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday.

Melendez said the fatalities include two adults and one child. He said a child is also considered to be among the missing.

UPDATE I: Search resumes, crews search for 3 missing in Ohio River.

He said the current of the Ohio River was too swift to send dive teams into the water, leaving crews left to search for the missing on the surface of the water.

“The water is very rapid. We’re unable to put divers in the water due to the current. So we are continuing a search on the surface only using the air unit and things of that nature,” said Louisville Fire Chief Greg Frederick.

The first call to dispatchers came in around 9:28 p.m. as thousands gathered along Waterfront Park for the 4th of July festivities.

A helicopter could be seen above the bridge searching for the missing people just before the fireworks started Saturday evening.

Rescue teams resumed their search at 9 a.m. Sunday with officials locating debris near a New Albany boat ramp.

UPDATE II: 2 Killed, 3 Missing After Boat Capsizes on Ohio River in Kentucky.

A man and a 14-year-old boy are dead and three people were missing today after a boat capsized on the Ohio River near Louisville, Kentucky, officials said.

Nine people were on board when the accident occurred Saturday night, Louisville Fire Chief Gregory Frederick said.

Four people were rescused but three people — two adults and one child — were still missing today, Frederick said. Rescue crews were searching the river for them today, the Coast Guard said.

The group rented a pontoon boat around 8 p.m. Saturday, officials said, and the accident was reported just before 9:30 p.m.

A responding fire boat found the pontoon capsized and pinned underneath a work barge.