2 Die, 3 Missing as Boat Sinks in a Texas Lake

A boat carrying 10 family members and friends on a late-night outing struck an underwater obstruction and sank early Monday. Two people were killed and three others were missing and feared dead, authorities said.

The rest were rescued after a survivor, Sara Guzman, swam more than a mile to shore to get help.

Lakeside resident Gary Gilliam called for help after he found Guzman sprawled on rocks by the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard about 3 a.m., roughly three hours after the 16-foot boat struck something and rapidly took on water.

“I can’t believe she made it across,” Gilliam told reporters. “It’s almost two miles.”

Speaking through a Spanish interpreter, Guzman, 22, said she was afraid to swim but God gave her “valor” to continue across the lake for nearly three hours.

“I did not think I was a strong swimmer, but I became very courageous,” Guzman said.

There were only two life jackets aboard the boat, Dallas Fire Rescue Lt. Doug Dickerson said.

Two boys, ages 6 and 15, survived by huddling in the water with an 18-year-old woman wearing one of the life jackets.

A 20-year-old man wearing the other life jacket was rescued nearby.

The survivors were uninjured.

The bodies of Rosa Isela Holguin, 38, and Elizabeth Guzman, 18, were pulled from the water. The search continued for the missing: a 12-year-old girl and two men, ages 39 and 21.

Authorities said hope for finding survivors was all but gone and the focus had shifted to recovering remains.

Several relatives of the boaters quietly waited for information in an upscale neighborhood overlooking the lake.