NYACK – State Police divers continued to search the Hudson River
at the Tappan Zee Bridge for one man who remains missing following Saturday’s
deadly crash between a tugboat and a stationary barge at the site of the
new Tappan Zee Bridge.
One body was recovered immediately after the accident and Governor Andrew
Cuomo said Sunday that a second body was also recovered. Cuomo identified
one victim as Timothy Conklin, 29, of Long Island.
The Coast Guard, meanwhile, suspended its search of the river at sunset
on Saturday.
First notification of the collision was received at 5:20 a.m. Saturday
shortly after the 84-foot tugboat “Specialist” struck the
barge and sank with three people aboard. Coast Guard Station New York
launched a 45-foot response boat to search for the three people in the
water. Ten minutes later, the one man was pulled from the water by a first
responder.
Tappan Zee Constructors, the builders of the new bridge, had a crew of
21 workers on their barge at the time; none were injured when the tugboat
struck.
After striking the barge the tugboat began leaking up to 5,000 gallons
of diesel fuel, creating a fuel slick some 100 yards wide and five miles
long.
Local law enforcement deployed a fuel-containing apparatus to the water
due to a visible sheen. Westchester has initiated a cleanup agreement
with a private company, Miller Environmental Group, to manage the diesel
spill with a state Department of Environmental Conservation oil spill
team on the scene to monitor and support the cleanup.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state will conduct “a full investigation
to understand exactly what led to [Saturday’s] events and provide
more information s it becomes available.”
