Woman and baby drown after boat overturns near Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor

The accident

A 27-year-old woman and a five-month-old girl died on Saturday evening, 8 August, after a boat overturned in New York Harbor near Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty stands. The New York Police Department said in a statement on Sunday that emergency responders received a 911 call at approximately 10:25 p.m. reporting an overturned vessel near Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay. One outlet, La Libre, reported the alert time as 10:15 p.m. The vessel was described by some sources as a motorboat of just under 7 meters, according to a report citing the New York Post, and by one outlet as a tourist boat. It was carrying 14 people when it capsized in the late evening. The police said they had not yet been able to establish whether the woman and the infant were related, and it was not clear how the boat could overturn.

The victims and survivors

The identities of the woman and the baby were being withheld until family members were notified, according to the police statement. The baby was identified as a girl, five months old. The police were unable to establish whether the woman and the infant were mother and child, according to multiple reports. Twelve other people were rescued from the bay before police arrived at the scene, according to the police statement, which did not provide more information about their condition. The 12 rescued included the captain of the vessel, according to NOS, citing CNN. Some of the survivors were taken to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where some were seen still wearing life jackets.

Rescue operation

After the 911 call, police deployed an air-and-sea helicopter rescue unit to the scene. New York police divers and fire department helicopters joined the response, while several rescue boats searched the harbor waters. Divers later recovered the woman and the baby from the water in critical condition. The police transported both victims to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where they were later pronounced dead. The rescue effort involved divers, helicopters and boats, according to multiple reports. The operation began immediately after the emergency call was received, with divers entering the water and aerial units scanning the harbor from above. Several rescue boats patrolled the waters of the harbor during the search.

Investigation

The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the capsizing. The captain of the boat was being questioned, according to CNN, but local police said no arrests had been made. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. The police said they were investigating what happened, and the Coast Guard is working to establish how the vessel came to overturn. No further details about the circumstances of the capsizing have been released. The police statement on Sunday did not provide more information about the condition of the survivors or what may have caused the vessel to capsize.