Cromwell Man Killed When Boat Capsized in Massachusetts

Two duck hunters died and another was rushed to a hospital Tuesday after they fell into the frigid waters of the Westport River in Massachusetts when their boat capsized.

One of the men killed has been identified as Robert Becher, 55, of Cromwell, Connecticut, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.

The other man killed has been identified as Steven James, 53, of Marshfield, Massachusetts.

A spokesman for the Bristol district attorney's office said the surviving hunter, Gregg Angell, 51, of Westport, Massachusetts,  was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I.

A resident in the area noticed a capsized boat in the waters of the Westport River just before 8 a.m. and notified the Westport Harbor Master, who notified local police and fire officials.

They started searching and found the hunters' skiff overturned at about 9 a.m., Westport Harbormaster Richard Earle told the Associated Press.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Simpson said the water temperature was about 35 degrees and the air temperature was about 8 degrees at the time.

Simpson said two of the hunters were found in the water, about half a mile from the overturned boat.

The surviving hunter was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter and had symptoms of hypothermia, Simpson said.

"It was cold, there was freezing spray, they had what appeared to be an aluminum boat about 16 feet long," Earle said. "It was pretty choppy and icy."

The district attorney's spokesman said the deaths are not considered suspicious but remain under investigation. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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