River Level on 6/4: 10.5 feet; 137,000 cfs. River at Chain Bridge is flat atr summer levels, but today there was a wave train and hot current. Were PFD's used??
1 rescued, 1 missing after boat overturns in Potomac River
By Valerie Bonk
June 4, 2018
WASHINGTON — One person was rescued and another is missing after a work boat overturned in the Potomac River. A pontoon boat carrying workers operating on the Key Bridge overturned in the river a little after 11 a.m. Monday morning, according to D.C. Fire and EMS.
An extensive water search for a missing worker was underway Monday. D.C. Fire and EMS said that the search changed Monday afternoon from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.
A boat carrying three workers overturned and three other workers jumped into the water to rescue them, D.C. Fire and EMS said. United States Park Police are also assisting in the search with a helicopter, as well as D.C. police.
DC Fire and EMS@dcfireems
Update Key Bridge water rescue: 1 worker remains unaccounted for in river. Extensive search in progress utilizing 2 #DCsBravest fireboats + 2 inflatables. 5 others who were in water evaluated and Uninjured. Will not be transported.
11:59 AM - Jun 4, 2018
Search Suspended for Man Missing on Potomac River
The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a man lost in the water when the boat he was working on overturned on the Potomac River. The pontoon boat capsized Monday near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Washington, D.C., with three construction workers on board. Two were pulled from the water, and one remains missing. The man was reported to be wearing a life jacket.
The Coast Guard launched a 29-foot response boat and a rescue helicopter to search the water, and D.C. Fire and EMS, Alexandria Fire Department, U.S. Park Police, D.C. Police Department, and D.C. Harbor Patrol all helped in the search, but the agencies suspended the search at 9 p.m. Monday.
“We put a lot effort into this search before deciding to suspend it,” said Cmdr. Sara Wallace, chief of response at Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region. “The decision is always a difficult one to make. The man's presumed death would mark the sixth fatality on the Chesapeake Bay in 2018.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
