MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — A Montgomery County man has died after a double-decker party boat capsized on Lake Conroe late Saturday with 53 passengers and crew onboard, Texas authorities confirmed.
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The incident occurred at around 8 p.m., about 40 minutes into a planned 90-minute cruise during a strong thunderstorm, KPRC-TV reported.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Sunday morning identified the victim as 80-year-old Karl Katzenberger, who was pronounced dead at an area hospital a short while after the incident, KTRK reported.
According to officials, the strong thunderstorm created waves as high as five feet, which caused the boat, the Lake Conroe Queen, to overturn. All of the boat’s occupants have been accounted for, the TV station reported.
People watch from the shore as crews continue to work on capsized boat in Lake Conroe. #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/QVc6cvIa71
— Matt Dougherty (@MattKHOU) August 15, 2021
Meanwhile, KTRK spoke with residents of a nearby apartment complex who assisted in the rescue operation and said children as young as 18 months old were on the boat when it capsized.
“Man, it was a pretty rough scene because the waves were five or six feet at least, and we were slowly pulling people back. And finally, the police got here, and they dove into the water and checked, and it seems like we got everybody accounted for,” Brock O’Rourke, who helped rescue people, told the TV station.
Diana Elizalde, who was on the boat, told KTRK that she made certain the “little ones were out first.”
According to the Conroe Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Lake Conroe Queen, a sternwheeler paddleboat, can hold up to 60 passengers.
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