4 Recovering after Boat Capsized on Delta Lake

EDCOUCH – Four men are recovering after their boat capsized on Delta Lake last night.

They told authorities they put the boat in the water around 9 p.m. Thursday. About 30 minutes later, the boat began taking on water, and winds caused the boat to capsize.

All four men were wearing life jackets. One man told crews they grabbed onto the boat for safety.

First responders said there were fishing reels in the boat at the time of the rescue. There are no trespassing, swimming, and fishing signs throughout the entirety of the lake.

They got a call for help around 10 p.m. The Monte Alto Fire Department, Edcouch Fire Department, Weslaco Fire Department and Weslaco Fire Department water rescue team all assisted in the rescue.

The Monte Alto Fire Department captain said locating the men was difficult. A DPS helicopter on scene helped track their whereabouts.

The men were taken out of the water past 11 p.m.

Weslaco Fire Chief Antonio Lopez said, “This is an area that's no trespassing. There's no fishing allowed. … Thank God that everybody made it out okay.”

Justin Mora with the Weslaco Fire Department said the men were checked for hypothermia. He said people can become hypothermic even on warm days.

"Any time you're in the water for an extended period of time, or outside period, and yes even though it's 100 degrees outside, the water does cool your body off rapidly. It's totally submerged so you have constant cooler temperatures in contact with your body the whole time. So it will cool you off even if you're in 80 degree water because that's 80 degrees that your body is taking in," Mora said.

There’s no word yet if the four men will face charges for being in a no-trespassing zone.

The incident is under investigation by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

There are steps you can take to stay safe in the water.

- Bring a life jacket for every passenger on board.

- A flashlight will help during moments of distress at night.

- Don't overload the boat. This will help prevent it from tipping over.

Map of Delta Lake Rescue