The autopsies of two men killed in the collision between a tugboat and a construction barge on the Hudson River north of New York City showed they drowned, authorities said Monday.
The body of a third man who's presumed dead has yet to be recovered, and his remains were thought to be in a part of the sunken tugboat that divers have not been able to access.
"They searched everywhere they could reach," said Westchester County Police spokesman Kieran O'Leary.
The 90-foot tugboat named Specialist hit a construction barge Saturday where workers are building the new Tappan Zee Bridge. The heavily damaged vessel now has to be raised. O'Leary said commercial divers went into the water on Monday to assess conditions and start coming up with a plan on how to raise the tugboat.
On Sunday, divers recovered the body of Timothy Conklin, of Westbury, New York. The body of Paul Amon, of Bayville, New Jersey, was retrieved Saturday. Authorities are looking for the body of Harry Hernandez of Staten Island.
Authorities said three tugboats were pushing a barge from Albany to Jersey City, New Jersey, when one of the three — situated on the right side as it headed south — hit a stationary barge that was part of the Tappan Zee Bridge construction project. A tugboat on the left side of the barge that was being pushed, as well as one that was pushing the barge from the rear, were not involved in the accident.
O'Leary said investigators still were conducting interviews and trying to piece together exactly what happened.
