Sunken yacht to be raised

Associated Press

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.

A sunken yacht on which three children died during an Independence Day fireworks outing was tethered Friday to prevent it from drifting away but must be raised from the water before investigators can determine what caused it to capsize.

There were 10 children and 17 adults aboard the Kandi Won when it tipped over and sank after the July Fourth nighttime fireworks show, trapping three children in the main cabin. Boating experts said the vessel was too full and was bound to capsize. That, combined with weather and a strong wave, might have doomed the yacht as it was steering toward land amid a throng of holiday boaters on Long Island Sound.

On Friday, a line was tied from police boats to the 34-foot-long sunken vessel so it wouldn’t drift. The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard may help raise the boat, which is submerged 60 feet below the surface.

The yacht’s owner, Kevin Treanor, who’s related to some of the victims, bought it in April 2011, boating records show.