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Three children were found dead inside a sunken boat on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin after a sudden, severe storm caused the vessel to capsize on Friday (July 3), authorities said.
The incident happened shortly after noon as a powerful storm swept across Walworth County, with wind gusts reaching up to 100 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The 25-foot 2024 Nautique P25 boat, carrying 10 people, was caught in the storm while trying to find safety on the lake.
Police said the boat’s operator, a 47-year-old man with extensive boating experience, turned the vessel into the wind, but large waves crashed over the bow. The boat took on water, then rolled and capsized after being hit by another wave, sending all passengers into the water. The boat quickly sank in about 32 feet of water.
First responders rescued seven people—six adults and one child—from the water. The three children who died, identified as a 10-year-old girl, a seven-year-old girl, and a six-year-old boy, were later found in the submerged boat. Despite immediate life-saving efforts at the scene and during transport to local hospitals, all three were pronounced dead. Police reported that the children suffered no external injuries, and their preliminary cause of death was consistent with drowning. All juveniles aboard were wearing properly fitted life jackets.
The passengers were from Batavia and Wheaton, Illinois, as well as Fontana, Wisconsin. Their names have not been released out of respect for the families. According to the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency, "the agency extends its deepest, most heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy."
Investigations into the incident are ongoing. Officials have not provided details on how the children were related to the other passengers.