October 20, 2012
By Brian Wellner, QCTimes.com
Two men on their way to go duck hunting Saturday morning were killed when their boat hit a buoy on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, Rock Island County officials said.
County Coroner Brian Gustafson did not release the names or ages of the two who died pending notification of their relatives. Autopsies are tentatively scheduled for Monday, he said.
Five other people in the boat were taken by other hunters and rescue personnel to the closest landing, which was in Muscatine County, Iowa. Four were airlifted to University Hospitals in Iowa City, where all of them were in serious condition Saturday, Gustafson said. Their identities were not being released, either.
The incident happened about 6 a.m., before sunrise, after a boat with seven people left from the Shady Creek boat launch, a mile north of Fairport, Iowa, Petreikis said.
Upon impact, one man was thrown against the buoy and another man was thrown out of the boat, he said. They died as a result of the collision, he added.