NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -- Two Massachusetts women died after their boat overturned on a small rocky island in Narragansett Bay early Sunday.
The Department of Environmental Management said the two women, both 23 years old, have died from injuries after their 22-foot boat overturned on some rocks.
The DEM told NBC 10 News that the distress call came in just before 2 a.m. Crews from that agency as well as several local departments then began a search.
At about 2:45 a.m., the Warwick Fire Department discovered the vessel on a small rocky island known as Despair Island, between Hope and Prudence Islands.
Three others, a 25-year-old woman from Massachusetts, a 25-year-old man from Rhode Island and a 27-year-old man from Massachusetts, also were on board and were injured. They were not identified.
The matter has been referred to the attorney general's office. Mike Healey, a spokesman for Attorney General Patrick Lynch, said he could not confirm that alcohol was a factor.
"Given the time of the incident, we'll look at whether alcohol was involved," he said. "I won't confirm that it was." Healey said investigators consider it an incident, not an accident.
"The purpose of our investigation is to see if a crime was committed. If so, it's not an accident," he said.
However, he said it is too early to call it a criminal investigation.
The Department of Environmental Management described Despair Island as rocky outcropping and is sometimes underwater depending on the tides.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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