2 dead, 6 hospitalized and 3 still missing after boats collide on river near Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP/CBS Newspath/WTOC) — Authorities say two people have died and three others are missing after two motorboats collided on a river on the Georgia coast near Savannah on Saturday morning.

According to Chatham County EMS, divers are actively in the water searching for the three missing boaters.

At least four other passengers suffered minor injuries and one other person was flown by a US Coast Guard helicopter for medical treatment.

Authorities told The Savannah Morning News that one of the boats was carrying six people and the other had three occupants when they collided on the Wilmington River Saturday morning.

According to WSAV-TV, Chatham EMS COO Phil Koster said a total of nine passengers were involved, including four children.

Officials say the call came in around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning in response to a collision between two boats.

Three men were on board a boat, two of them were injured and taken to hospital, one is still missing. There were six people on board the second boat, four of whom were taken to the hospital, where two died from their injuries.

The Wilmington River area between Thunderbolt and the drawbridge remains closed until further notice. The US Coast Guard had at least one helicopter involved in the search.

Saturday marked the start of the three-day Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest of the year for recreational boaters.