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Rescue personnel work after an amphibious barge capsized and sank at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri on Thursday.
Southern Stone County Fire Protection District via Reuters
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Southern Stone County Fire Protection District via Reuters
Rescue personnel worked after an amphibious trawler capsized and sank at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri on Thursday.
South Stone County Fire Protection District via Reuters
Updated at 11:20 am ET
Seventeen people died after an amphibious tourist boat carrying 31 passengers capsized and sunk Thursday during a severe squall in a south lake. Missouri.
The Ride the Ducks Branson sank on Table Rock Lake near the resort town of Branson on Thursday. The divers worked all night on the rescue and recovery operations. On Friday morning, the county sheriff told reporters that all bodies had been found, bringing the death toll to 17.
The capsizing occurred during a storm that produced gusts from 60 to 80 mph. Lifejackets were available inside the boat, but the authorities can not tell if the passengers were carrying them.
Crews will work Friday to lift the boat from the bottom of the lake, said Stone County Sheriff, Doug Rader, at a press conference.
The duck captain survived, but the driver of the vehicle was among the victims, said Rader.
Rader would not comment on the age of the victims, but Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Pace told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that they go from very young to old people.
Fourteen people survived the sinking. Rader said last Thursday that seven people had been hospitalized, and a local hospital tweeted that he was treating seven patients, two of whom are in critical condition.
Rader also said that a sheriff's security assistant at the Belle Branson Showboat star helped save some passengers.
The tour company Ride the Ducks Branson posted on its website that she is closed for business while she supports the investigation.
"Words can not express how deeply our hearts break," the company said. "We will continue to do everything possible to help the families who have been involved and the authorities in their pursuit of search and rescue."
In an interview with CNN, Missouri Governor Michael Parson described the incident as "a terrible, horrible tragic accident."
In a video posted on the Springfield News-Leader website, guests who dined at a nearby Branson Belle Showboat restaurant were watching the drama.
We can see the duck struggling against a train of wind lost waves. In the eyes of the spectators, he finally falls.
A video posted on Facebook from an account owned by Lakeside Resort & Restaurant on Table Lake shows waves rolling on a wharf, with a witness saying "I've never seen The boats can not enter, boats can not get out. "
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the sinking. The council asks all other witnesses, including those who have videos or photos of the accident, to email [email protected]
Jim Pattison is the president of Ripley Entertainment , owner of Ride the Branson Ducks. He told CNN that he understood that the weather was calm when the boat entered the water.
"It was almost like a micro-burst," he said. "We had boats there, it was perfectly calm, and we had a high-speed wind system that had just come out of nowhere."
The Springfield National Weather Service issued a violent thunderstorm warning for Branson and Table Rock Lake at 6:32 am local time.
The incident reportedly occurred around 7 pm
The National Weather Service reported that a strong storm passed through the county starting at 6:30 pm to reach Table Rock Dam, roughly at the time of the accident. The NWS had forecast gusts of 60 to 70 mph.
However, the head of the news quotes Captain Jim Pulley, owner of a sea towing service on Table Lake,
Towley's Pulley boats were helping crowd control at the Showboat Branson Belle when the capsizing of the duck occurred.
Many companies organize duck tours in cities throughout America. Some use DUKW amphibious vehicles from World War II restored, while others use newer vehicles in the style of the original DUKWs.
In 1999, a duck sank in a lake in Arkansas, killing 13 people
In 2010, an amphibious vehicle Ride the Ducks was involved in a water accident in Philadelphia that was makes two deaths
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation reveals that a tugboat driver, distracted by the use of a cell phone and a laptop, has caused the accident. 39 accident, but that the Ride the Ducks staff contributed to the accident by not checking the equipment and stopping in a navigation channel. measures.
In 2016, the company ceased operations in Philadelphia, citing rising insurance premiums, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time.
Other duck accidents have occurred on Earth, including fatal accidents in 2015 and 2016.
This is a developing story. Some things that are reported by the media will prove to be false later. We will focus on reports from police and other authorities, credible media outlets and journalists on the scene. We will update as the situation evolves.
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