AUSTIN (KXAN) — It began with chants of “USA!” and the waving of ‘Make America Great Again’ flags, but ended with panicked calls and sinking ships.
Now, more details are emerging about the boat parade in support of Pres. Donald Trump that turned disastrous on Saturday afternoon.
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office, who helped respond to the 15 calls for boats in distress, says about five boats sank during the event. Three others were towed from the water and as of Sunday, two others are still submerged.
TCSO says all of the distress calls were resolved and no one was injured.
The sheriff’s office says that conditions on Lake Travis were calm, but that the motion of the large number of boats generated large waves in areas where boats were dense.
Boats in need of help, TCSO reports, were taking on water, had stalled engines, capsized or sank. Most boats were able to be hooked up and towed. There’s no evidence foul play was involved, TCSO reports.
The event garnered local and national attention on Saturday, including coverage on NBC, The New York Times, Buzzfeed News and CNN.