Man drowns, second found clinging to stump after strong wind sinks boat in Texas lake

A man is dead and another is hospitalized after “high winds” and powerful waves likely sank their boat and left them stranded in Toledo Bend Lake, Louisiana authorities said.

The two men, both in their 50s and residents of Lake Charles, LA, were out on Toledo Bend Lake during the afternoon on Saturday, March 5, the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Toledo Bend Lake sits along the border between Texas and Louisiana, covering more than 181,000 acres and plunging to 110 feet deep, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The boaters were heading to the Pirate’s Cove Marina in Louisiana when they fell into the lake on the Texas side, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Waves from high winds are believed to have caused a boat to sink,” the sheriff’s office said.

Texas officials found one of the men clinging to a stump, while the other man “apparently drowned,” despite both of them wearing “personal flotation devices.”

The survivor was suffering from hypothermia and was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Shreveport, the sheriff’s office said.

The body of the second man was recovered and transported to Shreveport for an autopsy.

The boat had not been recovered as of Saturday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are investigating the incident.

This story was originally published March 6, 2022 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Man drowns, second found clinging to stump after strong wind sinks boat in Texas lake."