A woman and an infant have died after a vessel capsized in New York harbour near Liberty Island, police said.
The vessel overturned on Saturday night, prompting an emergency response after authorities received a 911 call at about 10:25 pm. Police divers and aviation teams were deployed to the scene, while 12 people were rescued.
Emergency teams continued searching the water for two people who remained missing following the rescue operation. Divers later located a woman and an infant in the water and took them to hospital, where both were pronounced dead.
The incident occurred near Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty and a major tourist destination in New York harbour.
Authorities are investigating the incident, but the cause of the vessel’s capsizing remains unknown.
“Police divers and aviation teams were sent to the scene after receiving a 911 call at about 10:25 p.m., the NYPD said. Twelve people were rescued, while divers later located the woman and infant in the water, it said. Both were transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.”
The emergency response involved multiple agencies as search teams worked to locate those who had fallen into the water.
The US Coast Guard has begun investigating the incident and is expected to interview the vessel’s captain as authorities seek to establish the events leading up to the capsizing.
“The US Coast Guard said investigators are en route to interview the vessel’s captain as they continue to investigate what caused it to capsize.”
The investigation is expected to examine the circumstances of the journey, the condition of the vessel and events immediately before it overturned.
No cause has been established so far, and authorities have not indicated whether weather, mechanical problems, overcrowding or another factor contributed to the incident.
The deaths come after the vessel overturned in an area of the harbour close to one of New York’s most recognisable landmarks.
Liberty Island sits in New York harbour and is accessible to visitors by ferry. The surrounding waters are regularly used by commercial, tourist and recreational vessels.
The rescue operation was launched shortly after the emergency call, with police aviation teams and divers deployed to search the area.
While 12 people were successfully rescued, the search continued for the woman and infant until divers found them in the water.
Their deaths bring the confirmed fatalities from the incident to two.
Authorities have not released further details about the identities of the victims.
The investigation remains ongoing, with the Coast Guard expected to gather information from the vessel’s captain and other people who were aboard.
Officials are also expected to determine how the vessel overturned and whether any safety or operational issues contributed to the accident.
For now, authorities have confirmed that 12 people survived the incident, while the woman and infant died after being recovered from the water and taken to hospital.