HELENA — On Wednesday afternoon, a storm rolled over Canyon Ferry Lake that caused a boat to sink.
Officials say the storm created swells on the water that overtook the boat that was carrying six passengers and brought it underwater.
Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office Captain Kevin Wright told MTN that the boaters were trying to get back to shore after noticing the storm, but were unable to make it back in time. Wright later said when the boat was overtaken by the water, all six boaters were able to swim back to shore safely.
"There was a speed boat that had six adult individuals in it and they were, you know, just out recreating on the lake and when they had actually saw a storm coming. They attempted to head back to the Shannon boat launch, and they weren't able to make it there because the winds and the swells of the water overtook the boat and basically sunk it," said Wright via phone.
All the passengers made it shore safely, viewers told MTN that one swam to shore and five others were rescued by another boater.
One homeowner in the area said the storm was short but violent, noting the water appeared to have large waves on it during the storm. Prior to MTN leaving the scene, the boat was completely submerged. There is no timetable as to when it will be recovered and an investigation is pending.
Correction/Clarification 07/08/21: This story has been updated to reflect that one person had swam to shore the other five were rescued by another boater. The previous story said all six occupants of the boat had swam to shore
