A second body was recovered Sunday after a tugboat accident on New York’s Hudson River on Saturday morning.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo briefed reporters at a conference Sunday afternoon. The announcement came after the Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday night. State police recovered the body, according to the governor.
Three people were missing after the early morning crash when the tugboat collided with a stationary barge near the construction site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
The tugboat sank after the incident. It had about 5,000 gallons of diesel aboard, according to the governor. Environmental agencies, including the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, are on the scene to manage the oil spill. Special pads are in use that help to absorb the oil without absorbing water, the governor said.
That has contributed to poor conditions for the divers helping in the investigation. Visibility in the water is about 6 inches, and much of the searching is being conducted by touch alone, the Cuomo said.
Cuomo reiterated that it appears that this was simply the result of tragic chance.
“Sometimes it’s just a pure accident, and that’s what this occurs to be, just a pure accident,” Cuomo said.
