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Bonner County Sheriff officials still searching for boat crash victims; neighbors recall terrifying moment

Bonner County Sheriff officials are still looking for three missing people after a Tuesday evening boat crash on the Pend Oreille river.

BONNER COUNTY, Idaho — Bonner County Sheriff officials are still looking for three missing people after a boat crash on the Pend Oreille river.

Neighbors said search and rescue boats have been looking for the missing individuals since the crash happened Tuesday evening.

Bonner County Sheriff officials were stationed on sonar boats and jet skis.

Neighbors said the search spread across more of the river following the initial crash. Thursday, they said there are less sheriff boats and the search is more concentrated.

Mike Kimling, a homeowner on the river, said he's spent 12 summers on the Pend Oreille river. Kimling said he was outside grilling when the boat crashed. He said the whole thing happened in seconds.

"When a boat that size and that powerful comes down the river, you hear it and notice it," Kimling said. "The boat went straight up into the air and then came down, bottom up and hit the water. There was a huge wall of water, you couldn't even see the boat. Then, everything was really quiet."

Another neighbor said he saw the boat crash and described the moment the boat came down on the water like, "a pancake hitting the water."

Meanwhile, another neighbor said she saw the boat before it crashed and immediately noticed its speed. She said the wind created choppy water conditions and the boat was going too fast. 

According to the Bonner County undersheriff, the names of the individuals on the boat have not been released. Undersheriff Ror Lakewold said names may not be revealed until next Tuesday at the earliest. 

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