A parade of boats in Texas celebrating their support for Donald Trump ended in disarray when multiple vessels got into trouble on apparently choppy waters leading to several sinking and a slew of distress calls being made to rescue officials.
Multiple media reports described a chaotic scene on Lake Travis, near the state capital of Austin, when a procession of boats waving Trump flags and banners motored over the waters but then got into potentially serious trouble.
Videos of the event circulating on social media showed several boats being swamped by waves and sinking as frantic passengers jumped into the water.
The Travis county sheriff’s office received its first call for help related to the event just after noon and multiple agencies quickly moved to assist people. So far, no injuries have been reported, according to the New York Times.
The event, called the Lake Travis Trump boat parade, had been organized on Facebook with images of Trump campaign slogans adorning a variety of boats.
Water-borne parades of Trump supporters have taken place across the US this summer from New Jersey to South Carolina with some of the parades reportedly involving several thousand boats.
Trump himself has even spoken out in support of them. “I just wish I had time, I’d get on one of those boats, and I’d be carrying a flag also,” the US president said in a campaign video released in August.
