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The incident at Table Rock Lake on Thursday, as thunderstorms swept the area, claimed the lives of 17 people, including children.
Nine of the dead belonged to the same family, it has now been revealed
Thirty-people were aboard the amphibious ship – known as duck for its wheels that allowed it to roll on land in addition to float on the water – when he went down.
The dead included nine of the 11 members of the Coleman family members on the boat, four of whom were children and five adults.
The other victims were a father and a son, two couples, a grandmother whose granddaughter survived, and the boat's driver.
16 of the 17 people who died in the tragic accident. Image: AFP / YouTube
The incident was caused by high winds and the excursion boat was trying to get ashore when the tragedy hit. Two boats were on the water, one of which returned safe and sound
The artificial lake is a popular tourist draw located in southern Missouri near the town of Branson, on the border with the United States. # 39; Arkansas.
Rick Kettels, who He said the storm seemed to come out of nowhere.
"It happened very quickly," he told AFP, saying the storm hit around 6:15 pm local time.
"I have spent most of my life here and I have never seen such a bad storm," he added, claiming that he "n & rsquo; had not seen the warnings of local weather stations
. Steve Lindenberg, a meteorologist in Springfield, Missouri, 72 kilometers north of Branson, said many violent thunderstorms had swept the area. causing significant damage to trees and fallen power lines.
In fact, meteorologists had recorded winds at 119 kilometers at the time, issuing a warning in the area around 6:30 pm
Branson Airport had experienced a gust peak of 63 miles to the hour, said Lindenberg
. hearts are heavy tonight, "said the city of Branson in a statement. "It's a very trying time for everyone involved."
"Branson City may be small, but large"
Branson Town Hall was open to victims, family members and survivors, with the support of the Red Cross and authorities
The National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to send a team early Friday to investigate the incident, according to the US agency.
Branson, Missouri is a popular holiday destination for its theaters and country music, including the Civil War attraction of singer Dolly Parton
The company that owns the capsized boat, Ripley Entertainment, added Branson 's "Ride the Ducks" attraction to his roster last year. The Ducks "is a seasonal excursion through the region's famous Ozarks region.
The Missouri incident was part of a storm system that hit much of the Midwest on Thursday, according to the meteorologists.
Several tornadoes tore Iowa, just north of Missouri, causing injuries and structural damage to a number of buildings No deaths were reported there [19659002] – AFP
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