Six individuals lost their lives, two were hospitalized, and two others are still missing following the capsizing of a boat on Lake Tahoe on Saturday night.
Shortly before 5 p.m. PDT, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received numerous reports of a boat disaster involving 10 people near D.L. Bliss State Park, located just a few miles from the Nevada border.
Eyewitnesses reported that around 3 p.m., the winds intensified unexpectedly, creating perilous conditions with large swells and waves measuring 6 to 8 feet, as per South Tahoe Now.
Local agencies, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and California State Parks, responded to the lake where witnesses reported seeing a group of people in the water near the overturned vessel.
The Coast Guard shared the below photos of the capsized boat.
Six people, identified only as adults, were found dead. Two survivors were rescued from the water and transported to a local hospital. Two others remain unaccounted for on Saturday night, Coast Guard officials said.
Conditions on the lake were harsh, the Sacramento Bee reported, with 30-knot winds, an air temperature of 38 degrees, and a wind chill that was near freezing, according to National Weather Service data.
There are reports that the boat was a Chris-Craft, but authorities have not confirmed that detail.
The circumstances surrounding the deadly incident remain under investigation. No further details, including the victims’ names, were released.
The sheriff department’s Search and Rescue team, along with a Dive Team, will return to the area on Sunday morning to resume search operations.
