One person was killed while four others were injured after a small boat ran ashore in northwestern Oregon on Saturday, July 4.
Authorities said the unnamed 33-foot (10-metre) boat was navigating the Willamette River when it suddenly struck part of an aluminium walkway on Sauvie Island in the late evening (local time) of Saturday.
Emergency response personnel who arrived at the scene reported that one adult female occupant was already deceased while four other individuals, including the boat's operator, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. All four survivors were later transported to hospital.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has begun an investigation into the tragedy.
Also on Saturday night, another boat struck a pontoon on Herrington Lake in Mercer County in Kentucky. This incident also left four people with varying degrees of injury.
One survivor reportedly suffered traumatic injuries. The Mercer County Fire District said this individual was airlifted to the University of Kentucky Hospital.
A fifth individual who was on the same boat has gone missing. Rescue boat crews and divers including some from neighbouring Ohio have been searching through the surrounding waters for any sign of this individual.
