BALTIMORE (AP) -- A robotic submarine found three objects in the harbor that may be the bodies of the passengers missing since a water taxi capsized last weekend in a sudden storm, officials said Thursday.
Fire Chief William Goodwin said he was ``guardedly optimistic'' about finding the remains of the missing man, woman and 6-year-old boy. Divers went into the water just before noon, and Goodwin said sunny, calmer conditions should help.
The three were among 25 people aboard the Seaport Taxi on Saturday when it flipped over near Fort McHenry in the storm with wind gusts reaching 55 mph. The boat was equipped with life jackets, but passengers are not required to wear them.
The high-tech sub, normally used to help lay communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean, found one of the objects Wednesday evening and the other two overnight, and it measured their dimensions, Goodwin said.
The missing are two 26-year-olds who planned to marry and a 6-year-old boy touring the harbor with his parents and two sisters.
The missing boy's 8-year-old sister, Sarah Bentrem, was in critical condition at University of Maryland Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. Two other passengers have died.
The water taxi's 74-year-old captain expressed his ``deepest sorrow'' Wednesday for those who died and remain missing in the tragedy and thanked their rescuers.
``Their lives changed and my life did, too,'' Francis O. Deppner said, his voice wavering, in his first public statement since the accident.
Seaport Taxi was to resume operations Thursday but will not use the Fort McHenry route, where recovery operations continue.
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