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Some of the deceased passengers were children, said Doug Rader, the sheriff of Stone County, during a wreck and wreck that occurred Thursday at Table Rock Lake, near the tourist town of Branson. reporters late Thursday night. Seven people were transported to the hospital. Of these, one of them was seriously injured, Rader said.
The search for survivors stopped overnight, but was to continue in the morning. Five people can still be missing, Rader said.
"It's going to last all night and tomorrow," he said, "we're still going to work on this."
is expected to arrive Friday to help determine the cause of the tragedy.
The boat, which had lifejackets on board, capsized and sank due to high winds and thunderstorms, Rader said. A violent thunderstorm warning was issued for the area around 16:30.
"The winds were behind what is called a" gust front ", reported meteorologist Mike Smith." There were also strong winds with heavy rain on his arrival that would have reduced visibility to very low values. "Gusts of up to 70 or 80 mph were reported at the time of the sinking, he writes.
The sinking duck was one of two still in activity for "The storm," said Rader, "the boats were coming back to shore when the incident occurred," he said.According to the Kansas City Star, some passengers of the capsized boat were able to swim up to sea. On the Shore.
A video captured by spectators just before the incident showed two ducks swaying up and down through rough waves.
One of the boats drags behind the Another, diving into the waves A speed boat can be seen behind the duck boats.
"Oh my god, oh no," a woman is heard saying in the bottom of the video. "Someone needs to help them."
"That duck, I do not know if we're going to get it back," says a man saying on the video.
Another video was captured by a passenger inside the second duck, which safely made it to the shore. The images of Paul Lemus and published by local media show a number of adults and children inside the boat. Waves crush against the windows and the Branson Belle Showboat is docked nearby, on the edge of the lake, near Table Rock State Park.
According to the Stone County Fire Protection District South, several agencies responded to the scene of a "mass casualty" involving a "tourist-type boat" shortly after 7 pm At 7:16 pm, a call to the County Public Safety Dispatch Taney called for a "water rescue" just north of the Branson Belle Showboat site.
"It will be a duck that capsized. We have about 30 individuals in the water, "said one voice on the dispatch, according to a recording captured on Broadcastify.com." It's pretty intense here, "says another voice later. [19659017] Among the passengers of the boat was a sheriff's deputy, who immediately attended the rescue effort, according to Rader.
At 7:27 pm said several people had already been "picked up."
"We have some injuries, a possible CPR in progress.There are some pontoons to get people out of the water … "
" Some people are already on the ground, "said another interlocutor later. "We really need an ambulance there."
One respondent asked if those who were at the scene of the victims could repel passersby. "We have people here taking pictures."
Just before 19:45, another member of the intervention team said that they had "at least six or seven dead".
"We are trying to dive missing people," he said, "We are treating some, obviously the wounded."
The storm suddenly arrived while Rachel Zerby was camping along the lake near the place where the duck capsized, she told the Washington Post
line of sight both through the water, "said Zerby. "I noticed that most of the boats had left the water, but there were still at least two or maybe three ducks near the Belle."
Rader told reporters that he did not know the depth of the water. He said that he believed that deaths would be caused by drowning.
"It's a very hard night for us." Melody Pettit, communications manager for the city of Branson, said at a press briefing outside of the city of Branson. City Hall that the night will be long for many people. "It's heartbreaking."
The families of the victims were invited to gather inside the town hall during the night. that the city has established an internal command post, providing families with chaplains, psychologists and Red Cross services.
Originally created by the US Army for the Second World War The DUKWs were amphibious trucks, such as the boats that carried ammunition, supplies and equipment from deep-sea ships to troops stationed on the beaches, and later they were modified for recreational purposes. riding in the ducks has become a tourist activity tr land and water using amphibious vehicles. Ride the Ducks is a national company that has several locations throughout the United States, including Guam. The Branson operation was bought last year by Ripley Entertainment, a company spokeswoman, Suzanne Smagala-Potts, at the Washington Post
The ducks had fatal accidents both in the Water only on earth
. The most deadly incident, 13 people died in 1999 after a duck boat suddenly started taking water during a tour of Hamilton Lake in Hot Springs, Ark.
In 2015, a Ride the Ducks boat crashed on an Aurora Bridge in Seattle and five students were killed. Dozens of people were injured. Ride the Ducks International LLC agreed the following year to pay $ 1 million for breaking federal security regulations, according to the Seattle Times.
However, Smagala-Potts said that it was the first time that there was an accident involving ducks. Branson. Smagala-Potts said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred tonight at Ride The Branson Ducks," she said. . "This incident has deeply affected everyone of us and we will continue to do everything we can to help families and authorities in their pursuit of search and rescue."
Located approximately 20 minutes from Branson, Table Rock Lake is a popular destination for PWC enthusiasts. "According to its website. The lake extends over 45,000 acres of surface and 800 miles of shoreline.
Roger Brallier, who is a canoe captain for the same company, told the Post that all captains are "very close."
"Was it not for the grace of God, it could have been me on the boat, "he said. "All our hearts are completely broken right now."
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