PUEBLO, Colo. — Park rangers are investigating what caused a boat to sink in Lake Pueblo, leaving one person dead.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), a small ski boat carrying three people sank after launching at Lake Pueblo State Park on Saturday. Rangers said the incident happened about 50 yards offshore near the Big Lizard Picnic Pavilion on the lake’s north side, just west of the North Shore Marina and boat ramp.
Witnesses on shore and rangers all tried to save the passengers, CPW said.
Two of the passengers on board who were wearing a life jacket resurfaced when the boat went underwater. A third passenger who was not wearing a life jacket tried to swim to shore but soon disappeared, according to rangers.
CPW said witnesses tried to swim to the man but were too late. The man had disappeared below the surface of the water. CPW said the water was estimated to be 72 degrees at the time of the incident.
Rangers called the Pueblo County Sheriff’s volunteer dive team for help to recover the body of the man in about seven feet of water.
The man's body was turned over to Pueblo County Coroner for identification. His identity will be released once his next of kin is notified.
After the man's body was recovered, CPW pulled the sunken boat to shore.
“While we continue to investigate, this appears to be a tragic accident,” said Daryl Seder, senior park ranger at Lake Pueblo. “We offer our condolences to the family and friends of this victim.”
The two survivors told rangers that they noticed that the boat was taking on water shortly after they left the marina's "no wake" zone.
CPW believes that the combination of the weight from the water and the choppy waves on the lake caused the boat to sink. However, it's unclear why the boat was taking on water.
This is the first death on Lake Pueblo this year, according to CPW.
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