2 dead, 2 missing after boating accident in Bodega Bay

Byby Cornell Barnard KGO logo
Sunday, April 19, 2015
2 dead, 2 missing after boating accident in Bodega Bay
Crews are searching for two survivors who were aboard a boat that went missing in Bodega Bay on Friday.

MARIN, Calif. (KGO) -- An ocean recovery effort is underway after four people who were fishing off the Marin County coast never returned.

Four people left Bodega Bay Friday morning to go on a fishing trip and when they didn't return home, family members called 911 and crews began searching for them.

Nearly 12 hours later, rescue crews found a wrecked boat near Tomales Point and two bodies.

The two victims who were found were identified as Diane Kelly, 61, from Windsor and Richard Hargreaves, 59, from Santa Rosa.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the search for two people who are still missing has slowed down due to heavy fog moving onshore at Point Reyes.

A sheriff's helicopter is assisting the U.S. Coast Guard in the search for the two survivors. "Right now we are actively continuing to search for two other people from an overdue case," U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Amanda Faulkner said.

A sheriff's helicopter prepares for a search for two missing fishermen in Bodega Bay, Calif. on April 18, 2015. following a boating accident that killed two others onboard.
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Search crews riding jet skis also searched the water for the missing passengers on board.

Two others who on the 21-foot Pleasurecraft did not survive.

The U.S. Coast Guard searches for two missing fishermen in Bodega Bay, Calif. on April 18, 2015. following a boating accident that killed two others onboard.
KGO-TV

Sky7 HD was over the wreckage of the boat near the rocks off Tomales Point.

"I started up the trail here and started seeing helicopters flying along the coast real low," Patrick Randall said. He watched the grim recovery mission unfold. "My heart sank, my heart goes out to families. It's really hard to see something like that," he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a warning to boaters on Friday for rough seas along the coast this weekend, urging vessels to use caution and passengers to wear a life jacket. "If you're going out, check the weather before you go out, let someone know where you're going and always wear a life jacket," Faulkner said.

A life jacket was spotted onshore near the boat's wreckage on Saturday morning.

The cause of the boating accident is under investigation.

Stay with ABC7 News for more on this developing story.