2 KILLED, 4 HURT IN HYDROPLANE CRASH

Two people were killed and four others were injured Friday when a powerful hydroplane hit another speedboat and crashed into a spectator wharf at the Valleyfield Regatta.

Boat driver Daniel Brossoit, of St. Timothee, Quebec, and a spectator were killed in the accident during qualifications for the North American championship in the Grand Prix class, in which boats reach speeds of more than 130 mph."It was unbelievable because conditions were ideal for racing," said Serge Proulx, a sportswriter for Le Soleil de Valleyfield, a local newspaper.

According to race organizers, Brossoit's hydroplane lost control on a straightaway and flipped in the air. It was hit by a hydroplane driven by defending champion Jimmy King of the United States.

King was tossed from his boat and knocked unconscious. His boat crashed into the wharf and exploded. King was pulled from the water by spectators, Proulx said.

"Daniel's boat flipped and was broadsided by King," Proulx said. "King's boat splintered on impact and pieces hit the people on the wharf."

According to Proulx, the spectator, whose name was not released, was killed when he was hit in the throat by debris from the crash.

King, who also won in 1987, was taken to hospital for treatment for injuries not deemed serious. Three spectators were also injured, organizers said.

Brossoit was found dead in his boat.

Nationally . . .