July Fourth tragedy in Long Island sound

A July fourth tragedy just being reported:

Sal Aurelino tells TV's News12 Long Island on Thursday that he was taking the Candi One home when lightning cracked, and moments later the boat was hit by a wave. He said it tilted, then kept turning and turning. He said it was chaos.

There were 27 people on board; three children died. Authorities were trying to determine whether the boat was overcrowded. 

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

The AP's earlier story is  rather long and detailed with further informations of interest such as:

Nassau County Police Det. Lt. John Azzata said it wasn't clear what caused the accident, but it could have been the weather or overcrowding onboard. It's also possible the yacht was swamped by another vessel because the area was crowded with boaters watching the fireworks.

and

Azzata said the boat should have had a life jacket for each person on board. But authorities could not determine if the boat had 27 life jackets because the vessel remained under water. Police said it capsized and then drifted a bit before it sank in about 60 feet of water.

and this

A boater told Newsday he saw the yacht turn right and then tip over after it was hit by a wake. "It was like in slow motion," said Sammy Balasso of Oyster Bay. "All of a sudden, a lot of bodies were in the water."

plus this

"Everybody was panicking," Balasso said. "People were saying things like `Why?'"

Now that's not surprising, "Why?"  That's certainly on everybody's mind. That can certainly qualified as a freaque wave!