Teen missing, four injured in 'mass casualty' boating incident on Lake Austin

Darryl Coote
·1 min read
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Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Authorities in Texas said a teenager was missing and at least four others were injured when a boat they were on ran aground Sunday evening.

Austin-Travis County EMS said in a statement that it initiated water rescue operations on Lake Austin, which is located outside the Texas city of the same name, at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday after receiving reports of a boating accident.

Seven people were on the boat when it crashed, officials said, resulting in at least one person being airlifted to the hospital.

ATCEMS said two people were transported to hospitals with serious injuries, two with potentially serious injuries and two others refused transport.

A teenage passenger is listed as "missing/unable to locate."

"Rescue efforts have been changed to recovery," Austin-Travis County EMS said.

"The event has been declared a Level-5 Mass Casualty Incident."

Ken Campbell, assistant chief of the CE-Bar Fire Department, told reporters that they believe the crash was an accident.

"What we understand is [the boat] hit the wake as it was going downstream. It bounced to the right, ejected one patient, maybe more, lost control and then hit the bank on the river side," he said.