The capsized yacht that killed three children last week was finally pulled to the surface of Oyster Bay Wednesday afternoon after spending a week under 60 feet of water.
The Kandi Won, a 34-foot Silverton yacht, was visible rocking on the water's surface, buoyed by air bags and roped to another boat as it was examined by investigators.
Now, FBI and Nassau County officials hope to find clues aboard the yacht that will help determine what caused the devastating July 4th capsizing.
The salvage operation, which began Tuesday, was hampered by low visibility and mud. On Wednesday, divers managed to attach straps to the sunken vessel to lift it halfway. Crews then used airbags to pull it to the surface.
Twenty-seven people were aboard the yacht when it sank following a fireworks display in the waters off Oyster Bay. Eight-year-old Victoria Gaines of Huntington, 11-year-old Harlie Treanor of Huntington Station and 12-year-old David Aureliano of Kings Park were trapped inside the cabin of the vessel.
Investigators are trying to determine if the boat was overcrowded. They also hope to learn if there were enough life jackets. The operator has said a wave capsized the vessel as a storm approached.
"This wasn't an overcrowded boat. This was an overcrowded waterway," the boat operator's lawyer, James Mercante, told NBC 4 New York. "And the result was a free-for-all, and ocean-like waves, that capsized the boat."
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