TAMPA, Fla. — A person is dead after their boat crashed into a barge early Wednesday morning near the Howard Frankland Bridge, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said.
The crash happened around 4:15 a.m. Wednesday. FWC said crews responded to a report of a boat crash near the Howard Frankland Bridge on the Hillsborough County side. Tampa police and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded to the call.
Authorities say information is still limited, but it appears the 20-foot boat had two people inside when it collided with a barge. One person on board fell into the water as a result. The other person was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries, although the FWC did not say how seriously the person was hurt.
The missing boater's body was recovered from the water Wednesday afternoon following an hourslong search, FWC said.
"All members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would like to express our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of the victim," the agency wrote in an update.
The investigation is ongoing.