Three people were killed and three others survived after a pontoon boat collided with a commercial barge on Lake Pepin, a widening of the Mississippi River along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, late Saturday night.
According to the Pepin County Sheriff's Office, authorities received a 911 call at about 10:45 p.m. reporting people screaming for help from the water near the YMCA Camp on Deer Island in Pepin County, Wis.
First responders located an overturned pontoon boat with three survivors clinging to the vessel. The survivors told rescuers that three additional passengers were missing.
A large-scale search-and-rescue operation involving agencies from Wisconsin and Minnesota followed, utilizing rescue boats, helicopters, drones and other specialized search assets. The U.S. Coast Guard's Sector Western Rivers issued an urgent marine information broadcast and assisted local agencies in coordinating the search.
The bodies of the three missing boaters were recovered Sunday.
The three surviving passengers were transported to area hospitals. Authorities have not released information on their conditions.
Officials said the collision involved a 27' pontoon boat and a commercial barge. The type of barge and additional details about the commercial vessel have not been released.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is leading the investigation into the cause of the collision. Authorities have not released information on what led to the crash.
Officials also confirmed that no campers or staff from the YMCA Camp on Deer Island were involved in the incident.
