CHICAGO MERCHANT

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Third body recovered

On June 23, crews have recovered a third victim from the recreational vessel which sank after the collision with the "Bill Arnold" late Fi June 20 in the Cal-Sag Channel near Palos Hills, Illinois. At about 10 a.m., local time, a man's body was recovered about 1.5 miles west of the Worth Boat Launch. He was the last of the three victims recovered during the search. The man was not wearing a life jacket. The case began on June 20 at about 11 p.m., local time, when a crewmember onboard the tug notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, in Milwaukee, of a collision with a 19-foot pleasure craft in the Cal-Sag Channel near mile marker 311. The Coast Guard and other emergency responders immediately began searching for occupants of the pleasure craft. Involved in the response were boat crews from Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor, Illinois, aboard a 25-foot response boat; an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan, aboard a Dolphin helicopter; inspectors from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago; crews from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; crews from the Palos Hills and Lockport, Illinois Fire Departments, with dive teams and side-scan sonar aboard; and crews from the Palos Hills and Worth, Illinois, Police Departments.

Two dead, one missing after collision

Search teams from the Coast Guard, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and local agencies recovered two bodies, one male and one female, on June 21, 2014, at 1.15 p.m. LT following a collision in the Cal-Sag Channel near Palos Hills, Illinois. On June 20 at 11 p.m. the "Bill Arnold" had notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan of a collision with a 19-foot pleasure craft in the Cal-Sag Channel near mile marker 311. The Coast Guard and other emergency responders immediately began searching for occupants of the pleasure craft. The "Bill Arnold" was uhderway with six barges at that time. Shortly after the search began, a crew from the Palos Hills FD located a part of the vessel that included the vessel identification. Three vehicles were located at a nearby boat ramp. Two were registered to the boat owner's address and one is registered to a person at an address in the same neighborhood. A wellness check was also conducted by local police at the boat owner's residence with no response. Involved response agencies suspended their active search and transitioned to a recovery operation in the afternoon of June 22. Dive operations have been suspended due to weather, but the use of side-scan sonar continued in the search for at least one more person. An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan, Illinois, aboard a Dolphin helicopter conducted an overflight after fog in the area lifted. Involved in the response were boat crews from Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor, Illinois, aboard a 25-foot response boat; an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan, aboard a Dolphin helicopter; inspectors from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago; crews from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; crews from the Palos Hills and Lockport, Illinois Fire Departments, with dive teams and side-scan sonar aboard; and crews from the Palos Hills and Worth, Illinois, Police Departments. A Coast Guard safety zone remained in effect around the area, and the channel is still closed to vessel traffic between mile marker 308 and mile marker 315.