By Esmeralda Bermudez / Los Angeles Times
Four people are missing north of Lake Havasu on Sunday after two boats crashed and sank on the Colorado River, tossing 16 people into the water, officials said.
The collision occurred about 8 p.m. Saturday between Pirates Cove and the Topock Marina near Moabi Regional Park at the California-Arizona border, authorities said. Search and rescue divers were in the water Sunday searching for those missing.
“There were lots of people in the water over the Labor Day weekend,” said Anita Mortensen, a spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona, adding that it was not clear yet whether alcohol or speeding played a role in the crash.
Officials said a Hallet boat carrying 10 people was headed northbound when it crashed head-on with a southbound Sleekcraft boat carrying six people. Four passengers from the Hallet boat were missing.
One woman with a head injury was flown to a hospital in Las Vegas, authorities said. She was in critical condition. Nine others were taken to hospitals by ambulance.
On Saturday night, helicopters from Care Flight, Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue and the San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department were deployed to the river. They were unable to locate the missing people.
Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire District, told 3TV/CBS-5 that the river moves fast and can reach depths of up to 30 feet deep.
“We had victims of this collision that were located 3 to 5 miles downstream from the original point of impact,” Sherwin said.
The river in this area may be closed intermittently while searches continue.
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