83 people rescued from paddlewheel boat in Texas
CONROE, Texas -- About 83 passengers and crew members were rescued from a paddlewheel boat on Lake Conroe Saturday.
It happened just before 11 p.m. Passengers on board the Southern Empress say a fishing boat was blocking the path to the dock. They say the captain blew the horn several times, but the fisherman did not move.
They say the paddlewheel boat then ran aground onto a sand bar near Bird Island.
"They wanted everyone in the back of the boat so they could get off the sand bar," a woman who was aboard at the time said. "Well it didn't work and standing back there, we were getting soaking wet by the paddle boards and the diesel engines. That's all you could smell."
The woman said they cruise was supposed to end at 10 p.m., but she did not end up getting off until 11:45 p.m.
She said she watched as pontoon boats tied up to the Southern Empress and tried to pull it free, but were unsuccessful.
Eventually, rescue crews helped get passengers and crew members off the boat.
No injuries were reported. Officials say due to the lack of rain in the area, the lake is almost 2 ft. below normal pool.
A similar situation happened back in 2015 when two boats also ran aground in the same area.
The boat was still stuck as of early Sunday afternoon. We asked the owners for a statement. They said they would provide one once they had dealt with the boat.
