Lake Travis: Several boats sunk in a pro-Trump parade in Texas

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The choppy water is likely caused by the large number of vessels moving closely together

Several boats sank in a lake in the US state of Texas during a show of support for President Donald Trump in the November elections, officials said.

Authorities say the choppy water was likely due to the large number of ships moving closely together at Lake Travis, near the state capital Austin.

Pictures showed boats with Trump campaign flags maneuvering nearby.

Media say people must be rescued from the water, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The event, called Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade, was staged on Facebook, and more than 2,600 people marked themselves as attending.

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More than 2,600 people identified themselves as having attended the event

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The event was organized by supporters of President Trump on Lake Travis

An investigation has begun and there is no evidence of any intentional action, said Christine Dark, a spokeswoman for the Travis County sheriff’s office.

“We have responded to multiple calls for boats in distress, many of which have sunk,” she said. “We had an extraordinary number of boats in the lake today … When they all started moving at the same time, it made big waves.”

The accident happened around 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday, the Labor Day holiday in the United States. The event page stated that the boats were required to drive at 10 mph (16 km / h).

Paul Yura, of the National Weather Service in Austin / San Antonio, told The Associated Press that there were no storms in the area at the time of the show.