2 children and 1 woman died when a pontoon capsized on Lake Powell on Friday

A woman and two children died after a pontoon boat capsized on Lake Powell Friday afternoon, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service.

At around 3:18 p.m., the NPS received reports of an overturned boat on Lake Powell near the mouth of Navajo Canyon in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The capsized boat was a privately owned 25-foot pontoon that was being towed when it capsized, the release said.

When rescuers arrived, they found people on the overturned pontoon and others in the water nearby. Several of the eleven passengers were trapped under the overturned pontoon.

Two four-year-old boys and 72-year-old Melissa Bean were killed when the pontoon capsized, the press release said.

Medical assistance was provided by Glen Canyon Rangers and the Page Fire Department, who transported the patients by helicopter and ambulance, the press release said. Other boaters also tried to help rescue the victims.

“The National Park Service and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office extend their sincere condolences to the families,” officials wrote in the press release.

The cause of the capsizing was still under investigation by the CCSO, NPS and the local coroner, but officials indicated that waves likely contributed to the pontoon tipping over.

This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Towed pontoon capsizes on Lake Powell, killing 3