Here is the official update:
Two Dead One In Boat Accident
On November 9th, 2019, at approximately 6:11 p.m., the New Hampshire State Police-Marine Patrol was notified of a boating accident with injury on the north side of Bear Island. The initial report indicated the boat had possibly struck bottom.
Fireboats with EMS personnel from Meredith, Gilford, and Laconia responded to the scene along with Officers from Marine Patrol. The boat, a 20 foot Sea Ray, inboard/outboard, was found adrift just north of the Bear Island Post Office.
Aboard the boat was an injured female passenger who was suffering from head injuries. She was transported to the Meredith Town Docks located next to Shep Brown’s Boat Basin and later to Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The operator of the boat, a male, was pronounced dead at the scene.
As the investigation continued throughout the evening and into the following morning, Marine Patrol Investigators determined that there was likely another unidentified vessel or structure involved in the collision. While investigating the cause of the accident, Marine Patrol Officers received a report of a possible missing boater from Bear Island. Evidence collected at the scene was determined to match the description of the missing boater’s vessel.
Marine Patrol Officers and Gilford Fire personnel utilized specialized equipment to conducted grid searches in an effort to isolate the location of the collision. The State Police Air Wing - Helicopter and divers from New Hampshire Fish & Game Department were also utilized to assist with searching the area where the collision was believed to have occurred. Based on this collaborative effort, divers from New Hampshire Fish & Game shortly located the second vessel in approximately 48 feet of water. Moments later, divers also located a deceased male subject within the submerged vessel.
Through the initial evidence obtained at the scene and a witness account, it is believed that the two vessels collided with one another while underway; however, all facts and circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation. The names of those involved are being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin.
New Hampshire State Police – Marine Patrol was assisted by Officers from the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, Gilford Fire & Rescue, the Laconia Fire Department, Meredith Fire and Police Departments and the New Hampshire State Police Air Wing
Marine Patrol is requesting anyone who may have witnessed this incident or may have heard anything on the water in the area of Bear, Pine or Three Mile Islands, to please contact Sergeant Dave Ouellette at Marine Patrol, 603-227-2111.
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