6 dead, 2 missing after boat capsizes on Lake Tahoe

Six people died, two people were hospitalized and two others remain missing after a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe Saturday night.

Just before 5 p.m., the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received multiple reports of a capsized boat carrying 10 people near D.L. Bliss State Park. 

The lake was reportedly experiencing large swells and waves were reaching 6 to 8 feet high. Witnesses told South Tahoe Now that around 3 p.m., the winds suddenly picked up, creating dangerous conditions on the waters.

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.

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 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.