Five boats sink during Texas Trump boat parade

Five boats sank while participating in a water parade in support of President Trump at Lake Travis in Texas on Saturday, according to officials. 

Nobody was injured or killed after the boats sank during the water parade on the lake west of Austin, The Associated Press reported Sunday. 

Boaters began calling for help “almost immediately” after the procession of Trump supporters started, Kristen Dark of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office told the AP. 

Deputies responded to 15 distress calls and received three other reports of boats taking on water, the newswire reported. The first call for help came at 12:15 p.m. and later distress calls were for boaters taking on water, stalled engines and capsizing, Dark reportedly said. 

Images reported by Reuters show boats with Trump 2020 campaign flags in choppy waters on the lake. 

The weather on the lake was calm, but the tightly packed boats created large waves in areas, Dark told the AP. She said deputies have found no evidence of foul play. 

Dark said three of the boats that sank were towed to shore and two others were still at the bottom of the lake. 

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office had previously confirmed at least four boats sank on Saturday, according to The New York Times, and said it received several calls about boats in distress along the lake’s Paradise Cove, Emerald Point and West Beach.

It was not immediately known how many boats experienced issues during Saturday’s parade or the cause of the issues.

TCSO responded to multiple calls involving boats in distress during the Trump parade on Lake Travis. Several boats did sink.

— Travis County SO (@TravisCoSheriff) September 5, 2020

Updated at 4:10 p.m. on Sept. 6.