3-year-old girl among 12 rescued on Lake Mead after boat capsized

Twelve people, including a 3-year-old girl, were rescued Sunday night after their 20-foot boat capsized on Lake Mead.

National Park Service rangers and Nevada Department of Wildlife wardens responded to a 911 call around 7:15 p.m. near Swallow Bay, according to a Monday release from the park service.

Rangers and wardens secured the boat and rescued the passengers from the water. The 3-year-old was rescued from an air pocket under the boat, the release said.

Hours earlier, some boaters and kayakers got stranded in the water during a storm, and many people got their cars stuck in the mud trying to leave the beaches afterward. Officers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area responded to more than 80 incidents overall on Sunday, including 10 search and rescues, the release said.

Also Sunday, another vessel capsized near Echo Bay, and a boat was stranded near Temple Bar. The park service said strong winds and flash floods contributed to many of Sunday’s incidents.

Brian Bowles, Nevada’s game warden captain and boating law administrator, said it’s important that boaters wear life jackets and are always prepared when they go out on the water.

“Everyone should take heed of this warning so early in the boating season,” Bowles said in the release. “Make sure you wear a life jacket, and be prepared for quick changes in the weather.”

Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.