The Coast Guard has suspended the search for two people in the water at sunset after a tugboat struck a barge and sank near the Tappan Zee Bridge Saturday morning.
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As an all-out search for two tugboat crew members stretched into hours following a deadly crash on the Hudson River, New York’s governor gave his stark forecast. Their identities have not been made public. The tug sank in about 40 feet of water within minutes, Cuomo said, spilling 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the river.
The US Coast Guard, New York State Police, and fire and police agencies from Westchester and Rockland counties searched throughout the day.
Cuomo said rescue workers are trying to determine, “where is the tug actually, is it stable in that position?”
“You have three people who left for work, who aren’t going to come home and that’s what today is all about”, Cuomo said. A distance of 150 miles.
The 90-foot tugboat named Specialist hit a barge around 5:20 a.m. near where the new Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects two counties north of New York City, is being built, police said.
One person is dead and two more are missing after authorities say a tugboat overturned and sunk on New York’s Hudson River following a collision with a barge north of New York City. He added that the bridge was illuminated at the time the incident occurred.
Thirteen workers on the construction barge were not hurt, according to state officials. None of them were injured. They had been using sonar to locate the tugboat where it sank near the Tappan Zee Bridge. The water temperature in the area was about 40 degrees, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
“We’re working diligently to clean up the diesel spill to protect the river”, he said.
Containment booms to collect the fuel have been set up. “It’s not a good situation, clearly, but we don’t expect at this time any long-term damage. we got on it right away”.
“It was a staunch, seaworthy tug”, said James Mercante, a maritime attorney representing Specialist LLC. Mercante states that the members operating on the tugboat were properly licensed, experienced, and understood their job.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, speaking with reporters near the scene, said an early investigation revealed the tugboat’s crew realized too late that the vessel was dangerously far to the right.
The area of the tugboat crash is not new to tragedy.
The crash occurred near the scene of a 2013 boat crash that killed a bride-to-be and her fiancé’s best man. It was one of three tugs pushing a barge down the Hudson when it hit a stationary barge that was part of the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project.
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Construction on the Tappan Zee Bridge began in 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2018.
