2 Killed, 6 Injured When Recreational Boat Crashes Near Baltimore Bridge The cause of the accident is under investigation.

 -- Eight people were on board a recreational boat when it crashed near a Baltimore, Maryland, bridge early Sunday morning, leaving two women dead and six people injured.

The 40-foot boat collided with a concrete pillar that was about 50 yards away from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to Candy Thompson of Maryland Natural Resources.

The two victims were identified as Wendy Lawson, 41, and Kimberly Ervin, 45, both from Baltimore, according to the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

At least one of the victims was not wearing a life jacket, according to Thompson.

Six people were hospitalized, Thompson said.

The pillar, approximately 10 to 15 feet in height and width, acts to protect the bridge from wayward incoming vessels, Thompson said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, and it was unclear whether alcohol was involved, Thompson said.

There were 130 boating accidents in Maryland last year, according to the Department of Natural Resources, that left 12 people dead and 96 injured.