A day of fun on the lake has left three dead including two 4-year-old boys. Two children and a woman died in a boating accident after their pontoon boat capsized. Another two were injured and had to be rushed to the hospital.
The incident happened on Lake Powell in northern Arizona on Friday. It can only be described as tragic. So what caused the accident? Here's the latest information that we have. Apparently, the incident involved two boats. According to National Park Service officials, another boat was going the 25-foot pontoon. That's when waves on the lake caused the pontoon boat to overturn. At this time, I'm not sure if winds or choppy water played a role or if it was user error.
The boat capsized near the mouth of Navajo Canyon within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. To make matters worse, the pontoon boat was near capacity when it sank. There were 11 passengers in total on the boat. Those kinds of boats, given the size, can hold up to 15 people. Following the capsizing, some took refuge on top of the pontoon. Meanwhile, others were in the water. Unfortunately, some of the passengers got trapped under the boat itself. Both Glen Canyon rangers and Page Fire Department worked to help.
Pontoon Capsizes
They rescued those out of the water and rushed the injured to local hospitals. They also called in helicopters to transport the more severely injured. Sadly 72-year-old Melissa Bean and two 4-year-old boys died. Authorities chose not to release the names of the 4-year-old boys at this time. Following the boating accident, two others remain in the hospital. A 12-year-old girl is in critical condition. A man is hospitalized for injuries.
At this time, we're not sure of exactly what happened or if any of the people who died or were injured were related. However, there were families on the pontoon when it capsized. Local authorities are investigating the incident and will figure out exactly what happened.
"It's not unusual for us to investigate a death on the water periodically throughout the year. However, the magnitude of this — we've got three fatalities and two in critical condition — is not a common circumstance and it's definitely tragic," Lt. Adam Simonsen, a spokesman for the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, said in a statement.
