Rescuers recover last two missing victims of Corpus Christi dredger fire

Firefighting tugs assist the burning dredger Waymon L. Boyd at the Port of Corpus Christi on August 21. 2020. (Photo: US Coast Guard)

The US Coast Guard and local salvage crews have recovered the bodies of the two remaining crewmembers of the dredger Waymon L. Boyd after recovering a portion of the fire-stricken vessel from the Corpus Christi Ship Channel at the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas.

All four of the dredger’s missing crewmembers are now accounted for and the families have been notified.

The portion of the vessel was located in the middle of the channel during diving operations. Pollution response and salvage operations are ongoing.

Approximately 6,000 litres of diesel fuel has been removed from the water.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

The fire on Waymon L. Boyd erupted at around 08:00 local time on Friday, August 21. Two injured crewmembers were evacuated by helicopter while another four crewmembers went missing.

The bodies of two of the victims who were initially declared missing were found the following day, by which time the dredger had already broken in two and sunk to the bottom of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.


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