Body from boat collision found in Colorado River

Rescuers still looking for missing man, two women

MOABI REGIONAL PARK, Calif. — Authorities recovered one body and continued to search for three other missing boaters on Monday after a weekend collision between two vessels on a popular stretch of the Colorado River along the Arizona-california border.

A recreational boat carrying 10 people and another vessel with six people on board collided head-on Saturday night along the well-traveled stretch of the river, according to the Mohave County Sheriff ’s Office.

Both boats sank, and passing boaters pulled crash victims from the water. Nine people were injured, with two in critical condition, authorities said.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation.

Authorities said Monday that they had found the body of Christine Lewis, 51, of Visalia, California. She was previously listed as one of four people missing after the crash.

A search continued for two other women and one man.

A woman flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas after the collision was listed in fair condition Monday.

UMC spokeswoman Danita Cohen said that she could not identify the woman or provide specifics about her condition because of privacy laws, but she added, “Anyone in fair condition would not be unconscious and would be awake and alert.”

The woman was among more than a dozen people ejected from the boats in the crash, according to sheriff ’s office spokeswoman Anita Mortensen.

None of the boaters was wearing life jackets, which aren’t required but are recommended by authorities, Mohave County Sheriff Doug Shuster said.

The crash occurred between two popular marinas and near Moabi Regional Park as people enjoyed the Labor Day weekend.

Helicopters have been deployed in the search, and authorities have scoured the shoreline. Divers have been sent into the river, which can run as deep as 30 feet.

“These efforts will continue until all of those who are missing and unaccounted for have been located,” Shuster told reporters.

Authorities closed off a stretch of the river where the search was taking place.

Review-journal staff writer Michael Scott Davidson contributed to this report.