High winds caused a boat to capsize in Colorado, tipping its 13 passengers – five adults and eight children-into a choppy lake, killing one and starting a rescue search for the others. One person is still missing.
One of the children was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries after the boat overturned on Sunday at about 7:30 p.m. on Lake Pueblo in the Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado.
The group of adults and children were plunged into the frigid water between North Marina and Rock Creek, leaving them stranded as rescuers hurried to the scene.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Southeast Region Rangers tweeted “Rangers responded to a call for help for an overturned boat with 13 victims in the 60-degree water. Rangers rescued wight children and three adults and recovered a body. CPW Search and Rescue team is seeking a 5th adult.
“The body was turned over to the Pueblo County Coroner to identify the remains and determine the cause of death. The CPW Marine Evidence Recovery Team is searching 80-foot-deep water for the missing adult.”
Officials have urged boaters to avoid the area to keep the lake as calm as possible while they search for the mission man.
Officials tweeted “Please avoid the middle channel of Lake Pueblo between North Marina and Rock Creek Cove. @COParksWildlife’s Search and Rescue team need calm water to conduct its search. Boaters are reminded they must give space to our patrol boats and search vessels.”
“Officials say the boat capsized because of the high winds. Search efforts for the missing adult male will continue into the night. Could be a long search. The area of the lake is 80-90 feet deep,” Reporter Dan Beedie, with local news channel KRDO, tweeted.
The incident is still being investigated as rescuers and officials work to find the missing person and the cause of the one person’s death.