A body has been recovered as the search for 2 boaters continues after Connecticut vessel crash

By Jamiel Lynch and Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — The search continues for two men still missing after a man’s body was recovered from the wreckage of a motorboat that crashed Monday night at the mouth of the Connecticut River, state officials said.

Nine adults were aboard the boat when it hit a break wall at high speed and broke into pieces near Harbor One Marina in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, according to Joey Kellems, lead command center controller with the US Coast Guard’s Long Island Sound sector. Everyone on board has ties to the local community, officials said.

The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection has identified the man whose body was recovered as 34-year-old Christopher Hallahan from Westbrook, Connecticut. He had not been wearing a life jacket, Capt. Keith Williams said during one of two news conferences Tuesday.

Six people were rescued and taken to the hospital, and the boat operator is in critical condition, Williams said. Weather conditions Monday night were “nothing out of the ordinary,” with an incoming tide and a light breeze at the time of the accident, he said.

Police responded to the wreck around 9:15 p.m. Monday and found the 31-foot center-console motorboat floating, half-submerged, state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection spokesperson Will Healey told CNN.

The Coast Guard responded with air and water support, Kellems said. Search and rescue teams from mutual aid agencies conducted search and rescue efforts until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Healey said, adding the search picked back up at 7 a.m. State police were set to arrive with their dive team around 10 a.m., according to Williams.

“From what we’re seeing from evidence, early stages, you know, we’re hoping for the best, but at this point, it’s most likely going to be a recovery,” Williams said.

The boat, which was pulled from the water Tuesday morning, sustained damage to the bow and the keel, Williams said, adding that directly beneath the bow to midship was heavily impacted.

“Based on that much damage, I would say that the vessel was moving considerably,” he noted. A damage assessment will help in accident reconstruction, Williams said.

The coastal town of Old Saybrook, with a population of around 10,000, is about 30 miles east of New Haven, Connecticut.

Asked about a similar boating crash in the area on Labor Day last year, Williams said while the jetties are well marked, “At night, it’s a different ballgame.”

“It’s just imperative, especially at night, when you’re coming back, and you’re out on Long Island Sound, to know where your markers are, know how to get in where the channels are,” Williams said. “That’s key to have a safe voyage and make it back.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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