6 reported dead and 2 missing after a boat capsizes on Lake Tahoe in California

In the photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, a capsized vessel floats is seen near D.L. Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe, Calif., June 21, 2025. (Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Smith/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Six people were confirmed dead and two others were missing after a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe in California during a powerful weekend thunderstorm that whipped up high waves, officials said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office responded Saturday afternoon to D.L. Bliss State Park following reports of 10 people in the water, officials said. Two people were rescued and taken to a hospital.

Winds of about 30 knots and swells of up to eight feet (2.5 metres) were reported around the time the 27-foot (eight-metre) gold Chris-Craft vessel flipped over near the lake’s southwest edge, Coast Guard officials said.

Rescue workers and divers searched the area Saturday evening and resumed their search Sunday morning before the Coast Guard suspended its search.

Video obtained by KCRA-TV showed moored boats at a nearby marina crashing into one another amid strong gusts. The extent of the damage wasn’t immediately known Sunday.

The Associated Press