Three children who died when a boat capsized on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin were wearing life vests, authorities said. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The tragedy occurred during the July Fourth holiday weekend. The storm downed trees, ruptured power lines and made transportation treacherous across multiple states. After a similar storm hit the New York area late Friday, hundreds of thousands of utility customers were left without power and trains to New Jersey were canceled.
Combined with Midwest storms, nearly 1 million residents were left powerless. By noon Saturday, about 750,000 utility customers were without power in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and New Jersey.
The Wisconsin deaths stood out for how quickly extreme weather turned a holiday outing into a nightmare. The police department blamed a "sudden and severe storm" that rapidly produced hazards for boats. A privately owned recreational motorboat carrying 10 occupants, including four children, tried to race to safety before it was overwhelmed by severe wind and waves, capsized and sank. Six adults were rescued.