Coast Guard: Hope fading for 2 missing Pa. boaters

[July 08, 2010]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Coast Guard officials say hope is fading for finding two missing tour boat passengers alive a day after the amphibious craft they were riding in was struck and sunk by a barge in the Delaware River.

Capt. Todd Gatlin says the search for the missing duck boat passengers resumed Thursday morning near Philadelphia's Penn's Landing.

Officials say interviews with other passengers indicate the missing 16-year-old girl and 20-year-old man were members of a Hungarian tour group.

Divers have located the sunken boat, but Gatlin says they will not dive back down to the vessel Thursday because the murky water is severely limiting visibility.

Rescuers say 35 people were accounted for after the collision. A Coast Guard vessel was on scene overnight, and more boats resumed searching early Thursday.

[Associated Press; By MARYCLAIRE DALE and PATRICK WALTERS]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.