Arkansas state officials have identified two individuals who lost their lives after a boating accident in Mississippi County.
According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), Daniel Dees, 30, and Robert Harkins, 59, died when their boat overturned on the Mississippi River near Sans Souci Landing on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 20. A third passenger, 26-year-old Destiny Woods, managed to survive the incident.
Emergency responders, including the Osceola Fire Department, the Blytheville Emergency Squad, and several other units, were dispatched to the scene after reports of the boat capsizing. Officials stated the boat became submerged underneath a barge in the river, complicating rescue efforts.
Authorities recovered the body of one victim shortly after the accident. The second victim, initially missing, was found downstream on Thursday, Sept. 24. The AGFC noted that the body was discovered approximately five miles from the site of the incident, in an eddy off the river’s main channel.
Randy Zellers, assistant chief of communications for the AGFC, confirmed that the cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Further details about the circumstances leading to the tragedy have not been released at this time.