Two duck hunters died and a third was plucked from an icy river and rushed to the hospital Tuesday morning after their skiff capsized amid frigid conditions in Westport, Mass.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a rescue call at 9 a.m. of an overturned boat in the Westport River, near New Bedford. Two of the hunters were found at 10:30 a.m. about a half-mile from the vessel, officials said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The third hunter was found in the water a half-hour later. He was transported by helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.
A Coast Guard spokeswoman couldn’t immediately provide an update on his condition, but said he was being treated for hypothermia.
During the rescue, the air temperature was 8 degrees, while the water was 35 degrees with 30-knot winds.
None of the victims was identified.
“It’s tragic that this case resulted in two lives lost, and it is nothing short of miraculous that one hunter was saved,” Lt. Bryan Swintek, of the Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, said in a statement.
The Bristol County District Attorney’s office said the deaths don’t appear to be suspicious.
