Wheaton, Batavia residents among boaters capsized in Lake Geneva, where 3 children died

Some of the occupants of a boat that capsized in Geneva Lake in Wisconsin on Friday, killing three children, were from suburban Wheaton and Batavia, police said Monday.

Authorities have not released the identities of the children who died. They were ages 10, 7, and 6.

Police said the boat capsized Friday afternoon as a severe storm system swept across Walworth County with peak winds between 90 and 100 mph.

The children were among 10 people aboard a private 25-foot boat as the storm hit, police said. The boat was being operated by a 47-year-old male with extensive boating experience.

As conditions deteriorated rapidly, the operator tried to seek safe refuge at a habor and turned the boat into the wind, police said.

The vessel was then struck by two large waves that broke over the bow, causing the boat to take on water and list to one side, police said. Another large wave then hit the boat, capsizing it and sending all of the occupants into the water, police said.

After capsizing, the vessel quickly sank below the waterline, police said. Emergency workers responded after a 911 call and recovered seven of the people, six of them adults, before they were alerted about three children not accounted for, police said.

After a search, divers found the sunken boat in 32 feet of water and brought the three children to the surface, where lifesaving measures were administered, police said. They were later pronounced dead.

Police said preliminary medical information shows the children suffered no external injuries, and the preliminary cause of death was drowning.

Police said the occupants were residents of Wheaton, Batavia and Fontana, Wisconsin. Preliminary information shows all the children aboard were wearing life jackets.

Geneva Lake, in southern Wisconsin, attracts tourists from the Chicago area and other areas. The population in Walworth County, where the lake is located, nearly doubles during holiday weekends, the Associated Press reported.