The yacht Elusive was bound for the Wentworth Marina when a passenger took stock of black smoke billowing from the ship’s lower deck, according to the release. Within minutes, the boat was shrouded in smoke, passengers told police.
The three individuals were rescued by nearby boats that took them ashore. They were transported to Portsmouth Hospital, treated and released, according to police.
Police received reports of a boat fire on the Piscataqua River near New Castle just after 4 p.m., the release said, and the department’s Marine Patrol division responded to the scene within minutes.
Still, law enforcement was unable to save the boat, and within two hours of the initial call, the yacht had drifted across the state line with the outgoing tide and was submerged, the release said.
New Hampshire police asked any witnesses or anyone with information related to this incident to contact them.
