1 dead, 2 missing after tugboat crash on Hudson River

NEW YORK (AP) — A tugboat crashed into a barge on the Hudson River north of New York City early Saturday, killing one crew member and leaving two missing and presumed dead.

New York State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard and fire and police agencies from Westchester and Rockland counties were searching for the missing crew members.

Earlier in the day, they used sonar equipment to determine the exact location of the sunken tug and said they needed to assess whether it was safe to send divers into the river to search for the other two victims.

Authorities said three tugboats were pushing a barge from Albany to Jersey City, New Jersey, when one of the three — situated on the right side as it headed south — hit a stationary barge that was part of the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project.

Cuomo said a team from the state Department of Environmental Conservation was on site with a private contractor and were deploying booms to contain the leaking diesel fuel.

Victims' families have filed lawsuits against several construction companies in that crash.

The Coast Guard and the state Thruway Authority, which is building the bridge, said the barge was properly lighted, although additional lighting was installed after the crash.