The final victim of the Lake Tahoe boating accident, which occurred during a severe and unexpected weekend storm, was recovered on Monday, raising the total number of fatalities to eight.

According to U.S. Coast Guard officials, a 27-foot Chris-Craft boat with ten people on board overturned on Saturday afternoon. This happened near D.L. Bliss State Park on the southwest side of Lake Tahoe, as a sudden storm caused very high waves.

Two people were rescued right away and taken to a hospital, but their condition is not known. Six bodies were found on Saturday, and a seventh body was discovered on Sunday evening, as reported by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office. Divers searched a part of Lake Tahoe and located the last body on Monday afternoon.

Sgt. Kyle Parker stated that the victims' identities would remain confidential pending notification of their next of kin.

Although there have been some drownings and other accidental deaths on the lake recently, boating accidents with many fatalities are uncommon. In 2022, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department informed KCRA-TV that there are typically six deaths on the lake every summer, though there was a record of 15 deaths in 2021. The department could not immediately give current numbers.

The thunderstorm's strength surprised even meteorologists, including Matthew Chyba from the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada. They had expected some rain, but not the powerful storm that hit the southern part of the lake around 3 p.m. This storm brought winds over 35 mph (56 kph) and waves more than 8 feet (2.5 meters) high.

Chyba stated that they had not expected it to be so powerful.

He mentioned that temperatures in the area were much colder than usual for this time of year, which might have made the air mass unstable.

Chyba characterized the eight-foot waves on Lake Tahoe as "pretty significant," adding, "They were really churning up the lake."

Lake Tahoe is a very popular place for summer activities like boating, kayaking, and paddleboarding. This beautiful lake has very cold water and is located on the border of California and Nevada. It is also one of the deepest lakes in the country, with only Oregon's Crater Lake being deeper.

Officials have not yet provided specific details about the group on the boat that overturned, nor have they stated if the boat was rented or privately owned.

The tempest that struck on Saturday abated in approximately two hours.

Brittany Glick was celebrating a friend's bachelorette party on a rented pontoon boat with seven other people last Saturday when the wind started to get stronger and the waves became larger. She mentioned on Monday that the day began sunny, but then the temperature suddenly dropped, and it was almost impossible to see.

She described the feeling as being at the very beginning of a tsunami, stating that she had never experienced anything comparable before.

After about an hour of navigating through increasingly rough waters, which completely soaked the passengers, the boat returned to the dock just as it started to hail.

Glick described how seeing the boats overturned was very disturbing. Being soaked in the freezing water made them extremely cold, and they were shaking uncontrollably. Their feet were numb, and their toes were turning blue. He stated that it was one of the most frightening experiences he had faced in his 30 years, as the storm arrived very suddenly and was terrifying.

KCRA-TV obtained footage depicting moored vessels colliding at a local marina, buffeted by powerful gusts of wind.