Latest news with #ElDoradoCounty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
6 dead, 2 missing after boat capsizes on Lake Tahoe
Six people died, two people were hospitalized and two others remain missing after a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe Saturday night. Just before 5 p.m., the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office received multiple reports of a capsized boat carrying 10 people near D.L. Bliss State Park. The lake was reportedly experiencing large swells and waves were reaching 6 to 8 feet high. Witnesses told South Tahoe Now that around 3 p.m., the winds suddenly picked up, creating dangerous conditions on the waters. Local agencies, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and California State Parks, responded to the lake where witnesses reported seeing a group of people in the water near the overturned vessel. Six people, identified only as adults, were found dead. Two survivors were rescued from the water and transported to a local hospital. Two others remain unaccounted for on Saturday night, Coast Guard officials said. Conditions on the lake were harsh, the Sacramento Bee reported, with 30-knot winds, an air temperature of 38 degrees and a wind chill that was near freezing, according to National Weather Service data. There are reports the boat was a Chris-Craft, but authorities have not confirmed that detail. The circumstances surrounding the deadly incident remain under investigation. No further details, including the victims' names, were released. The sheriff department's Search and Rescue team, along with a Dive Team, will return to the area on Sunday morning to resume search operations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
DoorDash executive among 8 dead in boating accident on Lake Tahoe
Eight people including an executive at DoorDash died in a boating accident Saturday at Lake Tahoe, California, officials said, in an unexpectedly powerful afternoon storm that capsized and grounded multiple boats at the popular tourist destination. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said an emergency was reported shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday near D.L. Bliss State Park, on the southwestern shore of the lake. As waves reached heights of up to eight feet, a boat capsized, sending 10 people into the water, the sheriff's office said. Zach Shearer, an operations manager at Tahoe Sportfishing, said the storm came 'up out of nowhere so fast,' turning the cold but calm afternoon into a tumult of wind and snow. 'The big thing was the wind and how it shifted, and how it really wasn't in the forecast,' he said. '... It was bad.' The local family business had all of its fishing charter boats on the water at the time, Shearer said. One was caught in the storm and rode it out, and the rest managed to get to safety, he added. Two people were rescued. The last body was recovered on Monday. The sheriff's office said it 'expresses it's deepest condolences to the families of those who have been affected by this tragic event.' Josh Pickles, 37, a corporate employee at DoorDash who lived in San Francisco, was among the victims, as was his father, Terry Pickles, 73, and mother, Paula Bozinovich, 71, both of Redwood City, California. In a statement, DoorDash's chief financial officer Ravi Inukonda said Pickles left behind a wife and daughter. 'We are heartbroken by the tragic accident that took the life of our beloved colleague,' he said. The victims of the boating accident were between the ages of 37 and 73. Five were from California and three from New York. They were celebrating the birthday of one in the party, local media reported, and were on board a 27-foot gold vessel made by Chris-Craft, a luxury powerboat company, when the change in weather brought reported 30-knot winds, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Several boats on Lake Tahoe capsized or were grounded because of the afternoon storm, said the Office of Spill Prevention and Response, part of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Its team deployed to address fuel spillage from damaged vessels. The National Weather Service had issued a wind advisory for that afternoon for neighboring Mono County. But Matthew Chyba, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, told the Associated Press that the severity of the weather exceeded predictions on the lake. The water temperature of the alpine lake dipped to a low of about 45 degrees on Saturday, according to the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California at Davis.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Victims identified in Lake Tahoe boat capsize tragedy during family birthday celebration
The victims of the Lake Tahoe boat capsizing have been formally identified by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Division. Eight people lost their lives in the tragedy, including four people from the same family who were celebrating a birthday. Five of those killed were from northern California, and three were from upstate New York. Paula Bozinovich, 71, of Redwood City, California, was on a birthday trip with her husband, Terry Pickles, 73; their son, Joshua Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, and an uncle, Peter Bayes, 72, of Lincoln, California. All four lost their lives. The other victims were friends on the boat and have been identified as Timothy O'Leary, 71, from Auburn, California; Theresa Giullari, 66, and James Guck, 69, both from Honeoye, New York; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, from Springwater, New York. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it extends its deepest heartfelt condolences to the families of those who were lost and all those who have been affected by this tragic event. A statement from Joshua Pickles' widow, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, provided spokesperson Sam Singer, reads: 'We are devastated by this tragedy. No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake.' It continues: 'Our hearts go out to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and deadly storm on Lake Tahoe." Two people were rescued immediately after the boat flipped over. Their identities and conditions have not been released. Ten people were on board the 27-foot (8-meter) gold Chris-Craft vessel when it capsized Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the lake's southwest edge as the storm whipped up high waves, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. Six bodies were recovered later Saturday, a seventh was found Sunday evening, and the eighth was located Monday, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m., said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled up more than eight feet (2.5 meters). 'We weren't expecting it to be so strong,' Chyba said Monday. He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass. Drowning and other accidental deaths have occurred in recent years on the lake, but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department told KCRA-TV in 2022 that there are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Family of four, including DoorDash executive, killed after Lake Tahoe boat capsizes
Four members of a family from northern California were among eight people killed over the weekend when a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe in California during a sudden and fierce thunderstorm. Josh Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, his parents, 73-year-old Terry Pickles and 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich of Redwood City, and his uncle, 72-year-old Peter Bayes, of Lincoln, died on Saturday, according to a family statement. The younger Pickles was an executive with DoorDash, the San Francisco Standard reported. 'No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake,' Josh Pickles' widow, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, said in the statement on Tuesday. 'Our hearts go out to those who tragically lost their lives and the two survivors of this unexpected and deadly storm on Lake Tahoe.' Two people were rescued immediately after the boat flipped over. Their identities and conditions were not known on Tuesday. Ten people were onboard the 27ft (8-metre) gold Chris-Craft vessel when it capsized on Saturday afternoon near DL Bliss state park on the lake's south-west edge as the storm whipped up high waves, US coast guard officials said. Six bodies were recovered later on Saturday, a seventh was found on Sunday evening, and the eighth was located on Monday, according to the El Dorado county sheriff's office. Also killed were Timothy O'Leary, 71, of Auburn, California; Theresa Giullari, 66, and James Guck, 69, of Honeoye, New York; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, New York, the coroner's office said on Tuesday. The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake at about 3pm, said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled up more than 8ft (2.5 metres). 'We weren't expecting it to be so strong,' Chyba said on Monday. He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass. Drowning and other accidental deaths have occurred in recent years on the lake, but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare. The South Lake Tahoe police department told KCRA-TV in 2022 that there are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Death toll rises after boat capsize on Lake Tahoe during sudden storm
The body of the last person missing from a boat that capsized on Lake Tahoe in California during a sudden and powerful weekend thunderstorm was found Monday, bringing the death toll to eight. Ten people were on board the 27-foot (8-meter) gold Chris-Craft vessel when it flipped Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the lake's southwest edge as the storm whipped up high waves, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. Two people were rescued immediately and taken to a hospital in unknown condition. Six bodies were recovered later Saturday, and a seventh body was found Sunday evening, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. Divers searched a section of Lake Tahoe and found the last body Monday afternoon. The names of the victims won't be released until family members are notified, Sgt. Kyle Parker said. Drowning and other accidental deaths have occurred in recent years on the lake, but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department told KCRA-TV in 2022 that there are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021. The department couldn't immediately provide updated numbers. The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted some rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake around 3pm, said meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the National Weather Service office in Reno, Nevada. Winds topped 35 mph (56 kph) and waves swelled up more than 8 feet (2.5 meters). 'We weren't expecting it to be so strong,' Chyba said. He said temperatures in the area were far below normal for this time of year, which could have contributed to the unstable air mass. Eight-foot waves on Tahoe are 'pretty significant,' Chyba said. 'They were really rocking the lake.' Lake Tahoe is a popular summer recreation destination for boaters, kayakers and paddleboarders. The pristine lake with very cold water straddles California and Nevada and is one of the deepest in the country, second only to Oregon 's Crater Lake. Officials haven't shared any details about the group on the boat that capsized, or said whether the vessel was rented or owned. Saturday's storm cleared out within about two hours. Brittany Glick was on a rented pontoon boat with seven others celebrating a friend's bachelorette party Saturday when the wind began picking up and the waves started getting bigger. The day had started sunny, but suddenly the temperature dropped and there was almost no visibility, Glick said Monday. 'It felt like we were in a tsunami that was starting. I have never experienced anything like that,' she said. As the boat returned to the dock after about an hour of navigating increasingly choppy waters, soaking the passengers, it started to hail. 'We were shaken up seeing all the boats flipped,' Glick said. 'And being drenched in that water, we were so cold. We were shaking uncontrollably. Our feet were numb, and our toes were turning blue. That was probably one of the scariest moments I've had in my 30 years. The storm came in so quickly. It was terrifying.' Video obtained by KCRA-TV showed moored boats at a nearby marina crashing into one another amid strong gusts.
