2 children die after boat capsizes on Cedar Creek Lake

2 children die after boat capsizes on Cedar Creek Lake

Two children died after a boat capsized on Cedar Creek Lake Sunday night, according to authorities. Ten adults survived the accident.

HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas - Two children died after a boat capsized on Cedar Creek Lake Sunday night, according to authorities. Ten adults survived the accident.

What we know:

The Tool Volunteer Fire Department said it happened around 10 p.m. on Sunday on Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County, which is about 60 miles southeast of Dallas.

The group of 10 adults and two children was on its way back to a family member’s waterfront home located in a gated community that backs up to the lake.

The Henderson County sheriff said the 21-foot-long boat was overloaded, lost power, and began taking on water. It overturned in the choppy water.

The adults all made it to shore, but a 3-year-old girl and a 5-year-old girl did not.

Authorities said the children were wearing life jackets but got trapped underneath the hull of the boat.

Several first responders jumped into the water to search for them. Unfortunately, the tide was working against them and pinned them against the dock.

A few hour later, rescuers were able to upright the boat and locate the bodies of the two little girls.

What they're saying:

Lt. Randall Newkirk and his wife, who is also a firefighter, were one of several area first responders who rushed to the scene to assist.

"The children being 3 and 5, they’re too young. They don’t have the strength that we have, the lung capacity that we have. And I think that they got sucked into that air pocket under the hull of the boat. Unfortunately, it was a tragedy on that one," he said.

As a parent, Newkirk said this was one of the worst calls he’s ever had to respond to as a firefighter.

"I'm still taking it in. We definitely went home and hugged our baby tight," he said. "Situations like this make you realize how precious your babies are to you."

What we don't know:

The identities of the victims have not yet been released.

First responders told FOX 4 that some individuals on the boat lived in Mansfield and were visiting family members near the lake.