Three children died and another 24 people were pulled from the water after a yacht full of people watching Fourth of July fireworks overturned near Long Island’s Oyster Bay, Nassau County police said.
The bodies of a boy, 12, and two girls, 11 and 8, were recovered from the cabin of the 34-foot (10-meter) Silverton vessel, which capsized between Center Island and Lloyd Neck, James Imperiale, a police spokesman, said today in a telephone interview. Police are investigating whether it was caused by another boat’s wake, weather or overcrowding, he said.
Crews from Nassau County Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, Oyster Bay police and fire responded to reports of the sinking about 10 p.m. in Long Island Sound, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Sondra Rivera said. Boaters in the area also assisted in the rescue, she said.
Imperiale declined to identify the deceased. He said police are still unsure who owns the yacht and how many life jackets were onboard. The vessel remains at the site submerged in as much as 70 feet of water, he said.
“Everything is still under investigation right now,” Imperiale said. “Those are the things we’re looking at.”
New York law requires vessels to carry one personal flotation device per adult passenger and requires children under 12 to wear them at all times except when in a boat’s cabin, Imperiale said.
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