'Crew shortage' on sunken US boat

Survivors and witnesses have been giving contradicting reports

A boat which capsized on a lake in the US state of New York killing 20 tourists did not have enough crew on board, local officials have said.

State boating regulations say at least two crew members should be present on a boat carrying more than 21 passengers, but the Ethan Allen had just a captain.

Regulators have suspended the licences of five other boats used by the company which operated the tour.

The boat was brought to the surface on Monday for further investigation.

It was raised using bags attached to it under water and filled with air. Salvage crews plan to pump it out and tow it to shore.

'Sliding chairs'

The captain said the boat, which was 100 yards (metres) from the shore, was hit by waves from other vessels.

The boat was sideways in the water, and people were screaming - bodies were floating by our boat Joanne Rahal Eyewitness

The Ethan Allen went down so quickly that none of the 47 elderly passengers, all from Michigan, managed to put on a life jacket.

Some survivors have said the plastic chairs they were sitting on were not fixed to the floor and slid all to one side.

Some of the seven passengers who had to be admitted to hospital are said to be in a serious condition.

One survivor, 76-year-old Jeane Siler, told the Associated Press she had stood up as the boat turned into a wake, and was either thrown or jumped into the water.

She suffered several broken bones and blows to the head.

Joanne Rahal, who was on another nearby boat, described the scene.

"The boat was sideways in the water, and people were screaming," she said. "Bodies were floating by our boat."

'No intoxication'

Hundred of vessels were on the picturesque Lake George 320km (200 miles) north of New York City at the time of the incident.

Some of the victims, aged between 55 and 90, had walking frames with them on the boat.

Mr Paris, an experienced captain, has not been tested for alcohol or drugs because nothing suggested he was intoxicated, Mr Cleveland said.

A former captain of the Ethan Allen, William Huus, said he thought it was "a very safe boat", but conceded it had a tendency to list to port when fully loaded.

Jim Quirk, director of Shoreline Cruises, which owned and operated the vessel, described the accident as a tragedy.