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The Latest: Four missing after Colorado River boat collision

Posted at 12:45 PM, Sep 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-02 14:45:45-04

MOABI REGIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) – The Latest on a boat collision on the Colorado River (all times local):

10:03 a.m.

Authorities say four people are missing after two boats crashed on the Colorado River, ejecting more than a dozen people who were on board.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that a boat carrying 10 people and another vessel with six people on board collided head-on Saturday night on the river that borders California and Arizona.

Authorities say both boats sank and passing boaters pulled victims from the water.

One person was found in critical condition and flown to a hospital in Las Vegas. Nine others were taken to local hospitals by ambulance.

Authorities are searching for four people who remain missing.

Anita Mortensen, a spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, says none of the boaters were wearing life vests when the collision occurred.

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12:32 a.m.

At least 13 people have been injured and two others are missing after two recreational boats collided on the Colorado River near the California border with Arizona.

Eric Sherwin, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire District, says the vessels collided head-on Saturday evening. The force of the crash caused one of the boats to sink and the other sustained heavy damage.

He says two people are missing and “presumed submerged.” The search for them has been postponed because of darkness.

Sherwin says one person has life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital in Las Vegas. A dozen others were injured but not seriously.

The crash happened in Moabi Regional Park, a popular water recreation area along the border about 290 miles (467 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.

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