Two people drowned and three remained missing after the pontoon boat they were riding in hit a barge and capsized in the Ohio River during Fourth of July celebrations, Kentucky authorities said Sunday, Sputnik reported.
Louisville Fire Chief Greg Frederick said nine people were thrown into the water when the boat capsized. Four of them were rescued and sent to Korsair Children's Hospital in stable condition, USA Today reported. Three of the injured were juveniles and their names and conditions were not released.
It wasn't the first time the group rented a boat from Derby Ville Rentals, the owner and operator of Derby Ville Rentals James Moore told WHAS.
Frederick said Sunday evening that aerial and water searches for missing man, woman and young girl would continue in the morning but the Louisville Police Department is now in command as the search turns from a rescue to a recovery effort.
The current of the river was too strong to use dive teams, and also contained a lot of debris, he added.
The barge was in a construction site about a mile upstream from the Clark Memorial Bridge.