11 saved in lake boating accident: Wave disables vessel; no one seriously hurt

LAKE MOULTRIE -- Rescuers saved 11 people after a large wave swept three of them off a pontoon boat and rendered the engine inoperable during Sunday's thunderstorms.

A person aboard the boat used a cellphone to call 911 and report that three people were thrown from the boat about 5 p.m. The people still aboard the boat threw a life preserver to those who were swept off, Berkeley County Rescue Squad Director Bill Salisbury said.

The rescue squad, the Lake Moultrie Fire Department and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources were on the water within 30 minutes of receiving the call, Salisbury said.

They quickly found the boat despite the thunder and lightning and took all 11 passengers to shore, where they were checked out by Berkeley County EMS. No one was taken to the hospital, he said. The boat also was towed to shore.

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