5 dead, man charged in boat collision on Georgia river

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The death toll in a Saturday boat crash is up to five people after the U.S. Coast Guard recovered the bodies of three missing men on Sunday. One of the surviving boaters was charged with boating under the influence.

The Coast Guard reported two recreational boats collided on the Wilmington River on Saturday morning. Authorities told The Savannah Morning News one boat had six people aboard and the other was carrying three people.

The Coast Guard took four injured people to a local hospital on Saturday and two were reported dead. Three others, including a 37-year-old white male and two "early 20-year-old white males," were reportedly recovered on Sunday morning. 

The Coast Guard released footage showing some boaters being rescued.

At least four other passengers had minor injuries and one other person was reported airlifted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.

A Chatham Emergency Services spokesperson who released details of the collision said a search was underway Saturday afternoon for the missing. 

The incident is the second involving a boat and serious injuries on the Wilmington River this month. A local businessman was killed May 5 when a boat he was aboard struck an unlit channel marker near the Savannah Yacht Club and he was struck on the head by an unknown object, authorities said.

Saturday was the start of the three-day Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest of the year for recreational boaters.

The Associated Press and Storyful contributed to this report.