The US authorities announced the sinking of a group of small boats that were participating in a demonstration in a lake in Texas on Saturday in support of President Donald Trump’s election campaign.
The boats faced difficulties ranging from drowning some of them and stranding a number and leaking water to a number of others, in accidents that did not cause any injuries, according to the authorities.
The Trevis County Police Office said, in a tweet, that it had “responded to numerous calls regarding boats facing difficulties during the pro-Trump (water) parade in Lake Travis,” noting that “several boats sank.”
Police spokeswoman Christine Dark said there was no evidence that what had happened was staged.
Dark added, “Some boats leaked water, and a number of others broke down, while others ran aground. The situation was a mixture of everything.”
Pictures posted on Twitter showed boats flying flags in support of the Trump campaign, sailing in waves likely caused by large numbers of boats moving near each other at the same time.
“There was an exceptional number of boats in the lake today,” Dark explained, noting that the authorities are still in the process of counting the number of boats that sunk and the number of people who have been rescued.
She noted that more than 2,500 people said on Facebook that they had participated in the water demonstration in the lake, which is a popular destination for boating, fishing, swimming and other activities.
