A 70-foot yacht burned and sank in New Hampshire, sending three people to the hospital, authorities said.
The vessel, the Elusive, was on the Piscataqua River heading toward a marina in New Castle around 4 p.m. Saturday when a passenger noticed black smoke below deck, the New Hampshire Department of Safety said in a statement. “Within minutes the boat completely filled with smoke,” police said.
The Coast Guard and the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol posted photos of the flames and thick black smoke pouring from the vessel.
Three passengers, as well as two dogs, jumped overboard as the boat became engulfed in flames. They were rescued by other boats.
The passengers, identified as Arthur Watson, 67, and Diane Watson, 57, both of New Canaan, Connecticut, and Jarrod Tubbs, 33, of Jupiter, Florida, were taken to a hospital, treated and released.
“The vessel drifted out of the harbor with the outgoing tide across the state line into Maine,” police said. “Efforts by several agencies to save the boat were unsuccessful. Within two hours of the initial call, the boat sank in waters off Kittery, ME.”
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Anyone who was a witness or has information related to the incident is asked to contact New Hampshire State Police.
