Three people are dead and five others are injured following a boat collision on Bobs Lake, just north of Kingston, police said.
According to officials, the incident occurred shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Bucks Bay area of the lake.
The boats are being described as an open-bow fishing-style boat and a speedboat, officers said.
Several OPP units, including the emergency response teams and canine units, were dispatched to the scene of the crash.
Police and firefighters had boats in the water to search for and recover victims.
Three people, including two women in their early 20s and a man in his early 20s, were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Emergency responders said five other people, ranging in age from 21 to 44, were transported to a hospital in Kingston.
One person was air-lifted from the scene due to the severity of their injuries, emergency officials said.
“Frontenac OPP continues to investigate the collision, with assistance from an OPP Collision Reconstructionist and members of the Technical Collision Investigation Team, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Coroner,” officials said in a release Sunday.
No details about the circumstances leading up to the crash have been released at this time. No charges have been laid. The investigation remained ongoing Monday.
Residents who live on the lake near the crash site told Global News on Monday they were aware of the speedboat, which they claimed had been seen ripping through the water at high speeds in the past.
“That boat is an incredibly fast boat,” Bob Main said. “I did not know the owner. I know the boat — everybody knows that boat.”
“He will come and open it up and it goes from zero in 60 in seconds. It is that powerful.”
The speed limit for boats in that area of Bobs Lake is 10 kilometres per hour, but neighbours say the limit is often ignored.
“That speedboat’s been known to be driving fairly quickly,” said Paul Hogan, who also lives in the Bucks Bay area.
A person identified as the owner of speedboat, named Y Wouldn’t Ya, posted to Facebook on May 12 about taking the boat out for “the first rip of the season.”
“Drift wood (sic) is gone and it’s time to put the f….ing hammer down!!!!!!!” the post read. The Facebook account has since been deleted.
—With files from Global’s Sean O’Shea
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