Searchers now in recovery mode
BURLINGTON, IOWA -- The search is over for four missing people following a weekend boat collision.
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According to authorities, all four bodies have been located, however, they cannot release any futher details at this time.
We will bring you more details as they are released.
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Rescue crews are searching the Mississippi River in Iowa for four people missing after an overnight boat collision Saturday.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources spokesman Kevin Baskins says the effort is focused more on recovery than rescue. He says the timing of the crash, about 1:45 a.m., made it difficult for rescuers to find people in the water.
The department says two boats crashed head-on in the O'Connell Slough area of the river, near Burlington. One of the boats was carrying 11 people; the other had a single passenger.
Baskins says all eight people that were pulled from the water were hospitalized. By the end of the day Saturday, at least one of the victims had been released. Baskins says at least one person suffered serious injuries. The Des Moines County Sheriff's Department confirmed one woman and three men remain missing, 19 to 22 years of age.
Several family members and volunteers continued their search Saturday evening, both on the banks of the Mississippi River and by boat. A candlelight vigil was held at 8 p.m. Saturday along the riverfront.
It's not clear how the accident happened as authorities said they have conflicting statements from the boaters, but a conservation officer with the Iowa DNR says lights on both of the boats involved were not in use.
Baskins told The Hawk Eye it could take weeks to interview all the victims, collect evidence and reconstruct the crash.
Burlington is in southeast Iowa on the Illinois border, about 200 miles north of St. Louis on the river.
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