Police say the three young victims of last week’s fatal boat capsizing on Geneva Lake, Wisconsin, were discovered still inside the vessel after it sank during a sudden storm.
The three children who died last week when a boat capsized on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, as previously reported by CBS News, were found trapped inside the vessel after it sank, police have said.
Seven other people were rescued from the water after a sudden, severe storm swept through Walworth County on Friday, causing the boat to take on water, capsize and sink, according to the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency.
The vessel – a 25-foot 2024 Nautique P25, with a maximum capacity of 19 passengers – was being piloted by a 47-year-old man described by police as an experienced boater. Nine other passengers were also on board: a 75-year-old man, a 73-year-old woman, a 49-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 12-year-old boy, a 10-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. The group were from Batavia and Wheaton in Illinois, and from Fontana, Wisconsin. Investigators said all of the children on board had been wearing life jackets.
According to police, the captain attempted to reach safe harbour as the storm approached, and turned into the wind when this was not possible. The boat was then hit by at least two large waves, taking on a significant volume of water before rolling over, capsizing and throwing all ten occupants into the lake. It sank shortly afterwards.
A nearby boat alerted emergency services immediately, and seven people were pulled from the water – but the 10-year-old girl, the 7-year-old girl and the 6-year-old boy could not be found. Divers later located the sunken boat in around 32 feet of water, with the three children still inside. They were freed and brought to the surface, where lifesaving efforts continued as they were taken to hospital, but none survived.
Police said a preliminary examination found no external injuries, with drowning listed as the provisional cause of death. No further details about the victims or the other passengers have been released, and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
