WESTPORT, Mass. (WHDH) — Authorities say two of the three duck hunters who fell into the frigid waters of Westport River after their vessel capsized have died.
A spokesman for the Bristol district attorney's office says the surviving man–who was identified as Gregg Angell, 51, of Westport–has been transported to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I. with hypothermia symptoms. His condition was not disclosed, but he is expected to survive.
Their boat was spotted by a resident shortly after 8:00 a.m.
"I would say your chances of survival, unless you’re in a survival suit, are maybe four or five minutes," Richard Tongue, a Westport resident, said.
A Coast Guard spokeswoman says two of the men were recovered by the Westport harbormaster and the third was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew.
The two men–identified as Steven James, 53, of Marshfield, and Robert Becher, 55, of Cromwell, Conn.–were found about a half-mile from the overturned skiff at 10:30 a.m. They were pronounced dead by EMS.
The district attorney's spokesman says the deaths are not considered suspicious.
"It's tragic that this case resulted in two lives lost, and it is nothing short of miraculous that one hunter was saved,“ said Lt. Bryan Swintek, the Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England public affairs officer.
The Westport Harbormaster said the man who survived may not have been on the boat when it capsized.
"They hunt from two different spots so whether that person who survived was dropped off there, I don't know," Richard Earle said.
The deaths remain under investigation.
Officials say the surviving man was upgraded to fair condition Tuesday night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.