A woman and seven-year-old boy were killed when a chartered boat capsized in the Hudson River, sending all 12 people on board into the water, New York City officials said.
Nearby ferries rushed to help police and fire department rescuers get people out of the river.
Three people were critically injured, including the captain.
Victims became trapped beneath the boat when it flipped at around 2.45pm off Manhattan near Pier 86, which is in front of the docked aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, a popular tourist destination, authorities said.
The cause is under investigation, said Inspector Anthony Russo, commanding officer of the New York Police Department’s Harbour Unit, at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
The boat had been chartered by a group of family and friends.
Its owner was following behind on a personal watercraft, authorities said.
Investigators planned to look at the water conditions and the boat’s capacity to determine what went wrong on the river, where boat wakes and currents pose constant challenges.
“There’s a lot of commercial and recreational traffic during the day here. We also have a lot of people on jet skis, kayaks,” Mr Russo said.
“The Hudson River is always a dangerous place to operate,” he added.
The names of the 50-year-old woman and the boy who died were not released.
“Our hearts go out to a group of people who were just using the water in our city,” mayor Eric Adams said at the news conference.
“This is a devastating moment for them and those who were part of the families that were there.”
