Tragic story out of WI over the holiday weekend - 3 children drown in boating accident

Happened on Geneva Lake which is a good sized, beautiful, and very exclusive/wealthy lake. In the span of a few minutes a brutal storm blew in with winds of 90-100 mph (downburst).

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While authorities had already cited a "sudden and severe" storm that struck the area Friday afternoon, new details appear to indicate how the boat carrying 10 people, including four children, eventually sank.

According to the National Weather Service, wind speeds reached an estimated 90 to 100 mph during the storm, which also brought "severe downburst winds that downed hundreds of trees and damaged several buildings, rapidly creating extremely hazardous boating conditions on Geneva Lake."

At the time, a 25-foot 2024 Nautique P25 vessel operated by a 47-year-old experienced boater was on the water attempting to seek "safe refuge."

"Unable to find safe harbor, the operator relied on his training and experience, turning the vessel directly into the wind," the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency said in a release. "The vessel was struck by at least two large waves that broke over the bow, causing the vessel to take on a significant amount of water and begin to list to one side. The vessel was then struck by an additional large wave to its side, causing it to roll, capsize, and send all 10 occupants into the water. After capsizing, the vessel quickly sank below the waterline."

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Here's what that (very expensive) boat would look like

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"Following an intensive search, divers located the sunken vessel in 32 feet of water. The three missing children—ages 10, 7, and 6, were located inside," the release said. "Divers were able to free the children from the vessel and bring them to the surface."

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Each juvenile was wearing a life jacket "of proper size and fit," authorities said.

The storm hit on the first day of the Fourth of July weekend, a time where the population in Walworth County is double its normal count due to the tourism in the area, Tom Hausner, undersheriff for the Walworth County Sheriff's Office, said.

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LINK

Photos of Geneva Lake





Here's a video someone took about half an hour or so before the storm blew in. No sign of a major storm whatsoever but there were NWS warnings ahead of it hitting.

Instagram Video

And here's a video of the start of the storm when it hit. This is one of the mailboats that still operate on the lake.

Youtube

The only thing I can think is that the boat flipped over on top of them and the life jackets held them pinned underneath while it sank. Truly devastating.