8th death confirmed after boat capsizes in Lake Tahoe during fast-moving storm, authorities say
LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KGO) -- El Dorado County Sheriffs confirmed they found the body of the final missing boater late Monday afternoon.
That brings the death toll from this capsizing to eight people. Two other people from the boat were rescued. None of the people killed have been identified as of Monday afternoon
UPDATE: SF DoorDash exec, parents among 8 victims of deadly Lake Tahoe capsizing during storm
Witnesses say winds on Lake Tahoe were fierce and the waves reached 8 to 10 feet on Saturday. That was the first full day of summer.
Video captured the raging waves by the Grove Restaurant at Camp Richardson Resort.
A man from San Ramon shared his video. He visited Tahoe with his family and told ABC7 he got stuck in the storm during a bike ride.
RELATED: At least 6 dead, 2 missing after boat capsizes on Lake Tahoe during large swells, storm
You can see boats taking on water, others taking a pounding by the waves. Those waves were powered by strong winds up to 45 miles per hour.
ABC7 News talked to Kevin "Coop" Cooper, the Harbormaster/ Marine Manager of Camp Richardson Resort.
He said the storm moved in so quickly.
"The wave height increased on this lake increased anywhere from 5-8 feet. I've been on this lake for 30 years and I've never seen this happen before," said Cooper.
Cooper says about a 25-minute drive from Camp Richardson is DL Bliss State Park.
Conditions on the water there were dangerous and deadly. A 27-foot gold Chris Craft luxury power boat capsized there on Lake Tahoe, killing 8 people.
It happened near Emerald Bay, on the southwest shore of the lake.
The U.S. Coast Guard shared photos of a large boat upside down in the water.
"The boat over at DL Bliss, when it capsized, everyone went into the water," said Cooper.
Cooper described the really intense waves near DL Bliss.
"It was 8 to 10 feet. El Dorado County Sheriff's boat was over there," said Cooper. "The sheriffs that were out there. They were trying to save those people. We almost lost one of those sheriffs," said Cooper.
Many say the storm came in without warning. There was snow and then gusty winds on Lake Tahoe.
"It changed in 40 minutes. It went from normal to ... it was a storm.326 it was literally a storm. 8 to 10 foot waves. That is very unusual in Tahoe," said Cooper.
Ray Akbari was visiting South Lake Tahoe and on the water Saturday. He made an emergency stop at Camp Richardson.
"So, our boat is teeter-tottering. One moment we're leveled with the dock. The next moment we're 5, to 6, feet in the air," said Akbari.
MORE: ABC7's Drew Tuma examines fast-moving Lake Tahoe thunderstorm that caused boat to capsize, killing 8
Natasha Jones, who was visiting Lake Tahoe with her 2 kids, was also caught off guard by the wild weather on Saturday.
"And then all of a sudden out of nowhere got incredibly windy where it was just, it wasn't you know. We weren't able to stay at the beach. We had to leave right away," said Jones.
Authorities have not said whether the victims in Saturday's tragedy were wearing life jackets.
The Coast Guard urges everyone on the water to always wear a life jacket and check the conditions before heading out on the water.
Authorities also remind boaters to be aware, to have their flares, and to have radios to call for help when needed.
"The Lake Tahoe disaster is believed to be the deadliest boating incident in California since 2019, when the Conception, a 75-foot dive boat, caught fire in the middle of the night and sank near Santa Cruz Island, off Ventura County, killing 34 of the 39 people aboard."
