A woman died when the boat she was on capsized on the Potomac River Sunday afternoon.

According to Hunter Dortenzo, spokesman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police, officers were called at 4:45 p.m. to a 911 call about a capsized boat with six people in the water in the Belvedere Beach area of ​​King George County.

Officials managed to rescue five people near the pontoon boat, which capsized due to sudden weather conditions in the area.

Gil James was one of the first on the scene after receiving a distress call through TowboatUS. James, a boat captain and firefighter/paramedic from Prince George’s County, Maryland, said the area was hit by severe thunderstorms with high winds.

“One of our neighbors once measured gusts of 40 miles per hour,” said James, who lives in Fairview Beach. “When I got the call, the rain had just stopped, but everything down here was flooded.”

James and his son were able to reach the boat and rescue five passengers who were not wearing life jackets at the time of the incident. “I think it just happened so fast that they didn’t have a chance to react.”

Meteorologist Sean Sublette confirmed that the National Weather Service issued a special marine warning specifically for the Fairview Beach area at 3 p.m. Sunday. “And depending on the size of the boat, a gust of 34 knots (39 miles per hour) can capsize a vessel,” Sublette said.

Two hours later, during a multi-agency search, a woman’s body was recovered from the wreckage of the boat and taken to the Baltimore coroner’s office.

James said the pontoon boat looked familiar because of its unusual style. “It looks like a boat with a camper shell on it that’s made entirely of glass. It was an unusual design with a full kitchen and full bathroom.”

Assisting agencies included the U.S. Coast Guard, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Charles County (Maryland) Fire and Emergency Services, and King George County Fire and Emergency Services.

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.