EUSTIS, Maine — A tragic boating accident on Flagstaff Lake Sunday afternoon left two New York women dead and another critically injured.
Officials say the crash happened around 1:30 p.m., when seven people were aboard a 2024 Sea-Doo Switch Pontoon boat near the Cathedral Pines Campground. According to investigators, the bow of the boat began dipping underwater before flipping, tossing all seven passengers into the lake about 180 feet from shore.
Witnesses onshore and nearby boaters rushed to help, pulling everyone to land and performing CPR on three unresponsive passengers. Despite their efforts, Farhana Nasir, 53, of Selden, New York, and Kiran Akbar, 23, of Lake Grove, New York, died at the scene.
Another passenger, 22-year-old Noor Nasir, was airlifted to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where she remains in critical condition.
Authorities confirmed that no one on the boat was wearing a lifejacket at the time of the crash. Alcohol is not believed to be a factor.
The crash remains under investigation, and officials say updates will be provided as more information becomes available.