Memorial Day weekend boating accidents across the country left two people dead, three missing, and more than a dozen hospitalized as of Saturday, according to authorities.
Over the last two summers boating accidents have become more common, with boating interest soaring, in part due to the pandemic, according to a 2021 report from The New York Times.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that in 2020 boating fatalities jumped by 25% compared to the year before, and in 2021 those numbers were even higher.
On Saturday on the Wilmington River near Savannah, Georgia, two boats carrying a total of nine people collided nearly head-on, according to Chatham Emergency Services Chief Philip D. Koster.
Koster shared that two people from one of the boats were taken to medical facilities, where they were pronounced dead, NBC News reported.
Two others from the boat were hospitalized, their injuries were not disclosed, and another two were reported missing, Koster said. Four of the six aboard that boat were teenagers.
Two men were hospitalized from the other boat, and one person was reported missing, Koster shared.
The three missing were described as a 37-year-old man and two men in their early 20s, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted of the incident at 10:42 a.m. and quickly responded to the call for help.
In total, five people were rescued from the wreck by the U.S. Coast Guard, with one being hospitalized in good condition and one being pulled from the water by a Coast Guard helicopter.
As for the missing persons, the Coast Guard is continuing to conduct rescue and dive operations to search for them.
Another incident saw a 30-foot boat go up in flames on the Illinois River Saturday night at 5:30 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.
The boat had 17 people on board, and one person is said to have suffered severe injuries, while 13 others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to Illinois State Police. All 14 were hospitalized.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated at this time by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police.
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