Two speedboat racers James Melley and Garth Tagge are killed when their vessel flips at 140mph in horrific crash

Two Georgia men were killed in a speed boating accident on the Potomac River near Fairview, Maryland, on Saturday afteoon.

James Melley, 49, and Garth Tagge, 61, were traveling at speeds in excess of 140mph, according to witnesses who watched the Potomac River Radar Run.

The event is an annual race, though there are questions as to whether this particular race was sanctioned by authorities, WJLA-TV reported.

The bodies of the two men were extricated from the water by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

In video of the accident, the boat is seen traveling at a high speed before it flips over, violently ejecting the two men.

Garth Tagge and Jim Melley at the 2016 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Missouri. (COURTESY: Tristan Garvin/Speedonthewater.com)

Witnesses who saw the accident unfold say they were mortified at the sight of the two men flying from the boat.

”Everybody was just horrified, said Guy Booth, the co-owner and manager of a riverside restaurant from which patrons watched the race.

Booth told WJLA that he thinks the 36-foot boat was traveling more than 150mph.

Melley and Tagge were known to be speedboating competitors who have taken part in numerous events across the country.

Boating enthusiasts say that the two men were known to have reached speeds upwards of 190mph.

‘I [saw] somebody doing a sport that they love and unfortunately it ended with a tragedy,’ said witness Gary Howdyshell.

‘My heart goes out to the families right now, that’s the one that have to deal with it right now,’ said Booth.