Man Dies After Tugboat Flips on San Jacinto River Near Houston

A Coast Guard Station Houston rescue boat crew, Harris County Sheriff’s Office boat crew and other mariners search for a missing man after the tugboat he was on capsized in the San Jacinto river near I-10 just outside of Houston Tuesday, April 19, 2016. U.S. Coast Guard Photo

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office along with the United States Coast Guard have recovered the body of a male victim who drowned after the tugboat he was working on capsized and sank on San Jacinto River about a half mile south of the I-10 bridge, just outside of Houston, Texas.

Location of the San Jacinto River near Houston. Map courtesy Google

The Sheriff’s Office confirmed this morning that its Marine Unit was dispatched at around 9:00 a.m. to the San Jacinto River Bridge and Interstate 10 East. The tugboat had a crew of five people when it became submerged underwater. The sheriff’s office said the reason for the tugboat becoming submerged is unknown.

Marine personal safely rescued four people from the river, but a fifth crew member was unaccounted for. His body was located a short time later, and a Coast Guard boat assisted in recovering the victim.

Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service Houston restricted waterway traffic on the San Jacinto at 8:42 a.m.,

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the identity of the tug as the Ricky J Leboeuf.

Some video released by the sheriff’s office shows the tugboat up against the barge before turning broadside to it, capsizing and sinking.

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the accident.

The incident comes as the region was hit by unprecedented rainfall, with more than a foot of rain reported in Houston. Flooding has been blamed for at least five deaths.