NORFOLK, Va. — Two separate boating incidents along the Mid-Atlantic coast turned deadly this weekend, with one person killed off Sandbridge and another in waters near Ocracoke Inlet, according to authorities.
The first incident happened Sunday morning south of Sandbridge in Virginia Beach.
According to the Virginia Beach Fire Department, crews were called around 8 a.m. after reports of an unmanned boat circling in the water. Fire crews were able to secure the vessel and learned the person who had been operating it left around 6 a.m.
A search was launched with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard. An MH-60 helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City located the boater in the water. Fire crews later recovered the person, who was pronounced dead.
Officials said the water was too shallow for Coast Guard boats to assist, so the search relied on the helicopter. The person’s identity has not been released, and the investigation is ongoing.
A day earlier, another deadly incident unfolded off the North Carolina coast.
The Coast Guard said a 25-foot commercial vessel capsized near Ocracoke Inlet on Saturday, throwing four people into the water. A nearby good Samaritan vessel reached the scene before first responders and pulled everyone from the water.
According to Dare County EMS, one person was pronounced dead at the pier. The other three people survived.
The Coast Guard said the vessel was operating commercially at the time. TowBoatUS responded to help refloat the boat, and no pollution or fuel sheen was reported.
Officials are still working to determine what caused the vessel to capsize.
Both incidents remain under investigation.
