Three Rescued on Lake Tahoe

The Coast Guard and multiple agencies rescued three people Wednesday evening after they were reported missing on Lake Tahoe.

At 9:45 p.m., Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Command Center watchstanders received notification from Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe that a 31-year-old female and her two children were missing and were last seen drifting on a raft in Meeks Bay.

The Sector San Francisco Command Center issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and launched a rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, National Park Service, Care Flight and California Shock Trauma Air Rescue also responded. A CALSTAR helicopter located the three people by radar directed the rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Lake Tahoe to their location.

When the Coast Guard rescue boatcrew arrived on-scene, they discovered that the raft was rapidly deflating and that the mother and two kids were about to enter the water. The mother and two kids were safely recovered by the rescue boatcrew with no reported injuries and were returned to Meeks Bay with their raft by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department.

“We want to thank all the other agencies on scene that assisted with the safe recovery of the mother and her children,” said Petty Officer Second Class Raul Medina. “This was just another example of the excellent coordination and assistance of our partner agencies on Lake Tahoe.”