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A boat carrying tourists capsized and sunk Thursday on a lake in Missouri (USA) during a violent storm, killing at least 11 people including children, local police said.
The boat was 31 people on board, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told a news conference. At least five people are missing and seven others were hospitalized as a result of the accident on Table Rock Lake, while the US Midwest is hit by heavy thunderstorms.
Several people managed to return only the shore, he added. Rescue operations, interrupted by the night, were to resume Friday morning with the participation of divers to find the missing.
Of the wounded, two are in critical condition, according to the local branch of Cox Medical Center, a structure Missouri-based private hospital
The amphibious-type boat, which can move on land with wheels, was attempting to return to shore when strong winds caused it to capsize. According to the sheriff, another boat that was then sailing on the lake was able to return to safety.
The storm "arrived very quickly" in the late afternoon, said by phone to AFP Rick Kettels, the owner of Lakeside Resort, a resort on the shores of the lake.
"I have lived here most of my life and have never seen such a bad storm," he said, adding that the local weather had not warned of its imminence
– Winds at 119 km / h –
He shot a video from the shore, showing big waves coming down on the pontoon, before to learn that a boat had capsized. "Given the waves, I do not think this boat could have had a chance," he said.
Table Rock Lake, located near the town of Branson, in southern Missouri, the Arkansas border is a popular artificial lake for tourists.
Winds of up to 119 km / h have been recorded, causing falls and power outages in the area, said Steve Lindenberg, meteorologist in Springfield, 72 km north of Branson.
"Our heart is really heavy tonight," said the city of Branson, saying "small in size but big in heart" in a statement. "It's a very trying time for all those involved."
With the help of the Red Cross and city officials, the Branson Town Hall has remained open to welcome the victims and their loved ones, parents and survivors. Branson is a popular holiday destination, with its country and entertainment venues and attractions such as the Dolly Parton's Stampede.
The National Transportation Safety Board was to send a team early Friday to to investigate the accident, announced the US agency.
The company that owned the boat capsized, Ripley Entertainment, had been offering this tour "Ride the Ducks" since last year in this region of the Ozarks
In a statement, the company said it would "do everything possible to badist the families concerned and the authorities as they continue search and rescue operations."
According to meteorologists, the storm that hit Missouri was part of a series of similar events that hit a lot of the Midwest on Thursday night. Several tornadoes swept through Iowa, north of Missouri, injuring and damaging buildings with no reported deaths.
On October 2, 2005, 21 people died on Lake George in the New York state in the sinking of a pbadenger boat aboard which was a group of 48 senior tourists, most of them Canadian. The boat, according to witnesses, would have returned in the wake of a more powerful ship.
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