Feb. 23 (UPI) — At least three people are dead and one is missing after a boat with six people aboard capsized in Ambrose Channel near Staten Island on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
Two people were injured in the incident, with one person listed in critical condition, police said, The New York Times reported.
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement that it was searching for one person in waters about 5 miles southeast of Breezy Point, a Queens Rockaway peninsula neighborhood located near Staten Island and Long Island.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the water temperature for the region on Sunday was 36 degrees.
Coast Guard Sector New York received notification from New York City 911 operators about the capsized vessel shortly after noon and rescued five people, four of whom were unresponsive.
Three of the people rescued were transported to Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook where emergency services were waiting, while the other two were airlifted to Staten Island University Hospital, the Coast Guard said.
The identities of the deceased have not been made public.
Three Coast Guard rescue boats, an MH-65 helicopter and assets from the New York Police Department, Fire Department New York and New Jersey State police assisted in the rescue effort.