LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — A privately owned recreational motorboat carrying 10 people capsized and sank on Geneva Lake during a sudden and severe storm Friday afternoon, killing three people and prompting a large emergency response near Big Foot Beach in Lake Geneva.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency are conducting a joint investigation into the incident.
Six adults and one child were successfully rescued from the water.
Following an intensive search, three children who remained missing were located and recovered from the lake. Lifesaving measures were administered at the scene and continued by emergency medical personnel during transport to local medical facilities. Despite those efforts, all three were later pronounced dead.
Walworth County Undersheriff Tom Hausner described the rescue operation at a news conference Friday.
"During this time, we were informed that a boat had overturned on Geneva Lake, and there were people in the water. The city of Lake Geneva police boat, along with Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency, responded with their boats, and seven people were rescued from the water. Unfortunately, there were three fatalities of people who were not able to be rescued," Hausner said.
Watch: 3 killed after boat capsizes off Big Foot Beach in Lake Geneva
According to investigators, the boat was attempting to navigate to safety as weather conditions deteriorated when it was overwhelmed by severe wind and waves, took on water, capsized and sank.
Hausner said he could not provide a description of who was on the boat at the time of his news conference. The identities of those involved are being withheld pending formal family notifications.
Authorities say weather alerts were issued during the storm. Hausner said his own phone received a storm warning while he was at home in the southwest part of the county.
Hospitals in the area received a high volume of patients following the storm, with some going on diversion due to the number of injuries. Hausner said many people were taken to local hospitals as a result of storm-related injuries.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those, not only of those people, but the people who are injured as a result of the storm," Hausner said.
The Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency and the Wisconsin DNR extended condolences to the families, friends and everyone affected by the incident.
The circumstances surrounding the capsizing remain under active investigation. Authorities said no further information is available for release at this time.
Investigators are urging all boaters to closely monitor weather forecasts, remain vigilant of changing atmospheric conditions, and seek safe harbor immediately when threatening weather approaches.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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