NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) -- The bodies of two men who fell into the James River following a boat collision were recovered on Monday morning.
Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Lay said the bodies were found around 7:45 a.m. in the waters near the Newport News Shipyard and the Dominion Terminal.
Virginia Marine Police identified them as Leroy Park and Robert Coleman, both from Emporia. The men had been missing since Saturday morning.
The family of one of the missing boaters told 13News Now that the two men were good friends. They were out fishing when their boat, with six people on board, collided with an oyster barge being pushed by a tug.
The mother of one of the men said her son does not know how to swim. His sister described him as a caring person who always looked out for her.
As they waited to hear any updates from first responders, tears and hugs filled the air near the river.
Good Samaritans were able to rescue four people. They’re doing well in the hospital and are expected to fully recover.
Through the weekend, first responders from multiple agencies worked together to conduct a search and rescue from above, on the surface of the water, and below.
Lt. Gary George, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer, said they ran a dual operation.
“Part of it is search, and part of it is recovery. And really, it’s about saturating the area with all of the resources that we have,” said George.
They conducted a grid search, which entails separating the area into different sections.
Their goal was to maximize coverage and search as quick as possible. But they were on the clock, first responders were forced to stop the search at around 8 p.m. if they had no luck finding them.
“When you start looking at the darkness and start to think about the safety of the people actually doing the search as well as the fact that they’ve been out here all day," said George.
"So we will search until we can’t search any more for the safety of our personnel.”
The Coast Guard and Virginia Marine Resources Commission are jointly investigating the cause of the incident.
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