AT least six people have been confirmed dead and two others missing after a boat capsized during a storm on Lake Tahoe.
A group of 10 people took to the lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Saturday afternoon.
Reports of a capsized vessel and all passengers being in the water near D.L. Bliss State Park were received by the US Coast Guard at around 3pm.
Officials have confirmed that of the 10 passengers on board, six have died, two are being treated in hospital, and another two are missing.
A search for survivors is ongoing and the identities of those dead and missing have not yet been released.
Those who died are all adults, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
According to a report by South Tahoe Now, a temporary lifeguard and a park ranger promptly reacted to a distress call. They managed to move two individuals to nearby rocks where they administered CPR.
Tragically, even though they had also gone in the water to help a third person, all three were declared deceased upon reaching the Coast Guard vessel. The Coast Guard then transported them to emergency medical services awaiting at Lester Beach.
The 27-foot vessel is believed to have flipped after storms caused a large swell and eight to 10-foot waves that battered the boat.
Onlookers informed local media that the weather on the lake took a sudden turn, with fierce winds shifting from the north, leading to the formation of waves measuring between eight to ten feet high.
Experienced boat captain Joby Cefalu said such conditions on the lake are “worse than 30-foot waves on the sea” and that it was an incredibly rare event for the summer.
Footage shared by the news outlet shows the usually-tranquil lake being buffeted by strong winds causing continuous waves to crash into and violently rock the vessels on the water.
After hours of clear blue skies, the sky grew dark and a storm whipped up with even snow reported in the area, until sunny and clear conditions returned just an hour later, per ALERTCalifornia.
CBS News reported 45 mph winds over the lake at the time of the incident.
“It was a very, very tragic day on Lake Tahoe,” Cefalu said.
In response to a statement by the Sheriff’s Office, one local who filmed the violent waves on the lake said “it was crazy”.
“You could have a life vest on and still no make it,” another added.
“Eight foot waves make it hard to spot you and Lake Tahoe is hypothermic year round.”
“At approximately 3 p.m., a response crew from Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe diverted to assist California State Parks and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office after receiving a report of 10 people in the water,” the US Coast Guard said in a press release.
“The individuals were aboard a 27-foot gold Chris-Craft vessel that reportedly capsized due to a large swell.
“Weather was reported to be 30 knot winds and 6-8 foot swell.”
“Six people are reported deceased, two people were brought to a local hospital, and the search for two missing people is still ongoing,” it added.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the fatalities and injuries just after 10 pm local time and added that the search for those still missing would resume on Sunday morning.
The search will be led by the EDSO Dive Team and Search and Rescue.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the EDSO and Coast Guard for an update.
