Two women were killed in a boating tragedy at a Maine beauty spot on Labor Day weekend, while a third is in a critical condition, local authorities said.
The group of seven was enjoying the long weekend Saturday on the waters of upper Flagstaff Lake, near the town of Eustis, when their pontoon boat started to go under and flipped over, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said in a news release.
The driver of the boat, named by the department as John Morris, 50, attempted to raise the bow but it continued to go under and the boat flipped, throwing all seven passengers into the water.
They were in front of the beach area of the Cathedral Pines Campground and approximately 180 feet from the shore when the tragedy occurred.
Farhana Nasir, 53, of Selden, New York and Kiran Akbar, 23, of Lake Grove, New York died at the scene, authorities confirmed.
Noor Nasir, 22, also of New York, was airlifted to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical in Bangor where she is in critical condition.
None of the passengers wore life jackets, the department said.
“Witnesses on the shore and on the lake rushed to assist those in the boat, and were able to get all seven of them to the shore,” the department said. “Three of the passengers were unresponsive and CPR was performed on all three.”
“No one in the boat was wearing lifejackets,” the release added. “The initial investigation indicates that alcohol is not a factor in the crash.”
The incident remains under investigation.
