At least 11 people were killed when a duck boat capsized and sank Thursday night in Missouri, plunging dozens of passengers into a lake near the tourist city of Branson and setting off a frantic search effort.
Some of those who died were children, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told reporters in a briefing. Authorities warned that the scale of the tragedy could still grow, saying Friday morning that six people remained missing.
The boat had 31 people aboard — 29 passengers and two crew members — when it sank into the waters of Table Rock Lake amid intense winds and thunderstorms, Rader said. Seven people were taken to the hospital, one of them with serious injuries.
The first 911 call about a duck boat sinking came in just after 7 p.m. Thursday, officials said, drawing dive teams to the water to search for victims.
“This is going to be all night into tomorrow,” Rader said. “We’re still going to be working on this.”
Among the boat’s passengers was a sheriff’s deputy, who immediately assisted in the rescue effort, according to Rader.
The Missouri Highway Patrol Dive Team will take over the search on Friday morning from a county dive team that scoured the waters Thursday night, officials said. Federal investigators are also heading to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would dispatch “Go Team” investigators to the lake Friday morning to investigate.
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11 dead after duck boat sinks during storm near Branson, Mo. At least 6 still missing.
By Allyson Chiu, Samantha Schmidt and Mark Berman
July 20 at 9:26 AM
Email the author
1:01
Duck boat capsizes in Missouri, killing at least 11
A duck boat carrying about 31 passengers capsized and sank on July 19, on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. At least 11 people were confirmed dead. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)
At least 11 people were killed when a duck boat capsized and sank Thursday night in Missouri, plunging dozens of passengers into a lake near the tourist city of Branson and setting off a frantic search effort.
Some of those who died were children, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told reporters in a briefing. Authorities warned that the scale of the tragedy could still grow, saying Friday morning that six people remained missing.
The boat had 31 people aboard — 29 passengers and two crew members — when it sank into the waters of Table Rock Lake amid intense winds and thunderstorms, Rader said. Seven people were taken to the hospital, one of them with serious injuries.
The first 911 call about a duck boat sinking came in just after 7 p.m. Thursday, officials said, drawing dive teams to the water to search for victims.
“This is going to be all night into tomorrow,” Rader said. “We’re still going to be working on this.”
Among the boat’s passengers was a sheriff’s deputy, who immediately assisted in the rescue effort, according to Rader.
The Missouri Highway Patrol Dive Team will take over the search on Friday morning from a county dive team that scoured the waters Thursday night, officials said. Federal investigators are also heading to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would dispatch “Go Team” investigators to the lake Friday morning to investigate.
Rader said the boat sank because of the intense wind and thunderstorms. The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area during the period the boat sank.
“The winds were behind what is called a ‘gust front,’ ” reported weather blogger meteorologist Mike Smith. “There were also intense winds with the heavy rain when it arrived which would have decreased visibility to very low values.” Gusts of up to 70 or 80 mph were reported around the time of the sinking, he wrote.
The duck boat that sank was one of two still operating during the storm, Rader said. The boats were returning to shore when the incident happened, he said. Some of those on the capsized boat were able to swim to shore, the Kansas City Star reported.
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11 dead after duck boat sinks during storm near Branson, Mo. At least 6 still missing.
By Allyson Chiu, Samantha Schmidt and Mark Berman
July 20 at 9:26 AM
Email the author
1:01
Duck boat capsizes in Missouri, killing at least 11
A duck boat carrying about 31 passengers capsized and sank on July 19, on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. At least 11 people were confirmed dead. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)
At least 11 people were killed when a duck boat capsized and sank Thursday night in Missouri, plunging dozens of passengers into a lake near the tourist city of Branson and setting off a frantic search effort.
Some of those who died were children, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told reporters in a briefing. Authorities warned that the scale of the tragedy could still grow, saying Friday morning that six people remained missing.
The boat had 31 people aboard — 29 passengers and two crew members — when it sank into the waters of Table Rock Lake amid intense winds and thunderstorms, Rader said. Seven people were taken to the hospital, one of them with serious injuries.
The first 911 call about a duck boat sinking came in just after 7 p.m. Thursday, officials said, drawing dive teams to the water to search for victims.
“This is going to be all night into tomorrow,” Rader said. “We’re still going to be working on this.”
Among the boat’s passengers was a sheriff’s deputy, who immediately assisted in the rescue effort, according to Rader.
The Missouri Highway Patrol Dive Team will take over the search on Friday morning from a county dive team that scoured the waters Thursday night, officials said. Federal investigators are also heading to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would dispatch “Go Team” investigators to the lake Friday morning to investigate.
Rader said the boat sank because of the intense wind and thunderstorms. The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area during the period the boat sank.
“The winds were behind what is called a ‘gust front,’ ” reported weather blogger meteorologist Mike Smith. “There were also intense winds with the heavy rain when it arrived which would have decreased visibility to very low values.” Gusts of up to 70 or 80 mph were reported around the time of the sinking, he wrote.
The duck boat that sank was one of two still operating during the storm, Rader said. The boats were returning to shore when the incident happened, he said. Some of those on the capsized boat were able to swim to shore, the Kansas City Star reported.
Video captured by onlookers just before the incident showed two duck boats churning up and down through choppy waves, with water spraying in every direction.
One of the boats lags behind the other, nosediving into the waves. A speedboat can be seen driving up behind the duck boats.
“Oh my gosh, oh no,” a woman is heard saying in the background of the video. “Somebody needs to help them.”
“That duck, I don’t know if they’re going to make it back,” a man is also heard saying in the video.
Another video was captured by a passenger inside the other duck boat, which made it safely to shore. Footage from Paul Lemus published by local news outlets shows a number of adults and children inside the boat. Waves crash up against the windows, and the Showboat Branson Belle can be seen docked nearby, on the lake’s shore by Table Rock State Park. According to police, the call about the duck boat sinking said it was near the Belle.