Coast Guard report: Fatal boating wrecks double in Alaska

KETCHIKAN — A report by the U.S. Coast Guard shows that fatal recreational-boating accidents in Alaska have doubled over the last year.

In 2016, there were 14 fatal boating wrecks that killed 19 people, Ketchikan Daily News reports. That’s seven more boating accidents and 12 more fatalities than in 2015.

Four of the fatal 2016 accidents took place in southeast Alaska, the Alaska Public Information Office said.

According to the Coast Guard, the number of recreational-boating accidents has increased nationwide over the past year. Other states with a high number of boating-related fatalities include Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Massachusetts and Hawaii.

The report says that alcohol was the leading known contributing factor of the wrecks across the United States.

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