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3 children dead after boat carrying 10 capsizes on a Wisconsin lake during fast-moving storm
The three children killed on Geneva Lake after their boat capsized during storms have been identified as a 6-year-old boy, 7-year-old girl, and 10-year-old girl.
A boat carrying six adults and four children capsized on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin during a powerful storm Friday afternoon, leaving three children dead and casting a somber shadow over Independence Day celebrations in Lake Geneva.
The three children killed have been identified as a 6-year-old boy, 7-year-old girl, and 10-year-old girl.
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In a release on Monday afternoon, Geneva Lake police said the 47-year-old man operating the boat had extensive boating experience.
Police said all of the children on board were wearing life jackets of proper size and fit.
Seven people on board were rescued, including a 12-year-old boy and the boat operator.
Police said the operator attempted to seek safe refuge when conditions deteriorated, but the vessel was struck by at least two large waves that broke over the bow, causing it to take on water. The boat then capsized, sending all on board into the water.
Police said divers found the vessel in 32 feet of water with the three child victims inside.
Police said the children suffered no external injuries, and the preliminary cause of death is freshwater drowning.
The group on board was residents of Batavia, Illinois; Wheaton, Illinois; and Fontana, Wisconsin.
The National Weather Service confirmed Sunday that the storm packed winds of 90 to 100 miles per hour. They left widespread damage across Walworth County, sister station WISN reports.
The investigation is ongoing.
Located in Walworth County, Wisconsin, Lake Geneva is around 49 miles from Milwaukee.
Local resident reacts
“It was just a shocking, horrific experience,” said local resident Jeremy Yonan, later adding, “It hurts, you know, just to even know that somebody else is going through that.”
Yonan, who watched the storm from his lakeside home, said he was deeply concerned for his own family, who were still out on the water. “We saw the weather come through as fast as it did, and we only had moments to spare,” he said.
He captured the storm’s rapid progression in photos, taking one at 12:17 p.m. as the weather began to shift and another at 12:19 p.m. as the winds turned violent.
On Saturday, which was the Fourth of July, the public boat launch, usually crowded during the holiday weekend, was nearly empty.
“I can tell everyone is still very uneasy about this, so it is going to be a very somber night,” Yonan said.
