OLD SAYBROOK, Conn — One person is dead, and six others were taken to the hospital after a boat crashed in Old Saybrook Monday evening.
A search and recovery effort for two missing boaters took place Tuesday and was called off at 7:30 p.m., with crews set to continue the search Wednesday at 8 a.m.
DEEP's EnCon police and other agencies were called to the marina around 9:15 p.m. after the boat was found. Officials said the single-engine boat had "significant damage" and had reportedly hit the east-facing jetty at the mouth of the Connecticut River. Police said it was believed the boat was coming from Block Island, but it's unknown where it was traveling when the crash happened.
According to officials, nine people were on board. An adult man was found by rescue crews and was pronounced dead at the scene. DEEP identified the deceased victim Wednesday as Christopher Hallahan, 34, of Westbrook.
Six other people who were rescued were taken to the hospital. Officials said Sea Tow was first at the scene and pulled five women and one man from the water. According to Old Saybrook officials, one of the six was the boat's operator, and they are in critical condition. One person has already been discharged from the hospital.
Police believed all nine people aboard were adults and many were not wearing life jackets.
As of 1 a.m., two people were still being searched for, and rescue crews suspended the search for the night.
As of 7 a.m., the search began again with it being a "recovery" and not a "search and rescue" operation, according to officials. The search will continue at least until sunset Tuesday.
Crews recovered the vessel and pulled it out of the water later Tuesday morning. Investigators hope to recover and download data from the GPS onboard to determine where and how fast the boat was going.
The Old Saybrook Fire Department is leading the investigation, and resources from the Coast Guard stations in New London and Cape Cod have been called in to help with the search.
This is a developing story.
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com
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