Couple killed after their boat collides with larger vessel off Long Island

Accident happened in the Great South Bay late on Sunday

Islip Fire Department tries to retrieve victims of capsized boat off of Long Island (Islip Fire Department / Facebook)

A Long Island couple were killed after their boat capsized following a collision with a larger vessel.

Louis Deritis, 53 and his wife Renee Deritis, 50, were riding in a 27-foot 1989 OC/MA boat in the Great South Bay off of Long Island at around 10.40pm when it rammed into a 44-foot 1989 Henriques Sport Fisherman boat on Sunday, according to Suffolk County Police.

The crash caused the smaller vessel to capsize, throwing Louis Deritis into the water; his body was found after an overnight search, police said.

The Islip Fire Department said that one of its rescue divers found Renee Deritis “within the hull of the submerged overturned boat and extracted the victim to our vessel. The victim unfortunately was beyond help and declared deceased at the scene.”

Neither the 61-year-old operator of the larger vessel, Ferdinand Caravousanos, nor his passengers suffered from any injuries, police said.

“We all know what a horrible tragedy it is,” Mr Caravousanos told NBC News. “It’s very difficult. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for the family.”

The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, police said.