Rescue boats from Weirton and Wellsburg searched the Ohio River near Steubenville for a driverless fishing boat after a woman reported seeing one near the Veterans' Memorial Bridge Thursday evening.

There had been a bass fishing tournament near the Steubenville Marina earlier in the day, but organizers said all of their competitors had been accounted for.

There was concern a driver had fallen out of a fast-moving boat or that the drifting vessel might collide with a passing barge.

Despite extending the search north of Weirton and south of Wellsburg, search teams found no boat.

"The most likely scenario is one of the bass boats was spotted and somebody thought there was nobody on it," said Weirton Fire Captain Jerry Shumate. "The guys in the bass tournament were all very responsible boaters. They all came in when we asked them. They told us what they saw and what their positions were and that all of their boats were accounted for."

Shumate said an extensive search is standard practice any time a boat in distress is reported on the Ohio River.

The search was called off after an hour.