Boats Sink During Trump Parade on Lake Travis in Texas

(Bloomberg) -- Several boats participating in a parade supporting President Donald Trump have made distress calls or sunk on Lake Travis in Texas.

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Twitter that it had received “multiple calls” reporting boats in distress and sinking during a parade celebrating Trump near Austin, Texas.

The president has tweeted approvingly of boat parades on his behalf in Florida and Massachusetts. It is not the first time a water-borne Trump rally has ended with boat occupants calling for help: a similar incident took place during a parade on the Willamette River in Portland last month.

Law enforcement officers who were at the lake said no one was seriously injured, according to The Austin Statesman. Large wakes were visible during the parade, and the lake is known for being sometimes difficult to navigate, the newspaper said.

More than 2,500 people said on Facebook they were going to Saturday’s event. The event organizer said the parade would kick off with four parachute jumpers leaping from a helicopter with smoke and flags.

“Decorate your boats in patriotic colors and fly as many Trump flags as she can handle,” the event organizer wrote on Facebook. “Let’s really make a statement!”

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