NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WPRI) — A 59-year-old Narragansett man has died just hours after falling overboard near Black Point Monday afternoon, according to the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM).

The man was fishing alone in a small fiberglass boat when he fell into the water, according to U.S. Coast Guard Senior Chief Ryan Burger.

Burger believes the man was not wearing a kill switch lanyard, which caused the boat’s engine to continue running. He said a 911 caller reported seeing the man in the water while the boat was “spinning out of control.”

The U.S. Coast Guard and DEM were able to stabilize the boat and tow it to a nearby pier.

Divers eventually found the man, who has not been identified, and bring him to shore. He was then rushed to South County Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, according to the DEM.

The incident remains under investigation at this time

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