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Yacht Operator Says NY Boat Hit by Wave; 3 killed

The man operating a yacht full of holiday revelers that capsized on the Fourth of July says the boat was hit by a rogue wave. WAMC’s Dave Lucas reports…

Sal Aurelino tells TV's News12 Long Island on Thursday that he was taking the Candi One home when lightning cracked, and moments later the boat was hit by a wave. He said it tilted, then kept turning and turning. He said it was chaos.

There were 27 people on board; three children died. Authorities were trying to determine whether the boat was overcrowded.

In 2005, A tour boat carrying a group of senior citizens capsized and sank on Lake George in upstate New York. Twenty people died when The Ethan Allen, carrying 48 passengers and one crew member, overturned off Cramer's Point. That accident caused government regulators to consider new laws on passenger boat capacity.

Dave Lucas, WAMC News.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.