17 die as thunderstorm capsizes tourists’ duck boat in horror on lake

The amphibious vessel was carrying 31 people on Table Rock Lake, a popular family holiday destination in the US state of Missouri. Seven survivors, including two who were critically injured, were being treated at the Cox Medical Center in the town of Branson, the hospital confirmed.

The sinking of the vehicle, inspired by the landing craft used during D-Day in the Second World War, marks one of the deadliest incidents at a US tourist attraction in recent history. Video shows two duck boats struggling through choppy water.

One made it to shore while the other was driven back. The video clip went on to show it sinking.

Divers located the sunken craft 80ft down and all the bodies have been recovered. Emergency crews rushed to the scene on Thursday evening after severe thunderstorms rolled through the area.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said: “There was some heavy wind. There were actually two ducks.

“They were coming back toward land. The first one made it. The second didn’t.”

National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Linderberg said winds reaching 63mph were recorded at nearby Branson airport.

Missouri governor Mike Parson said: “A terrible, horrific, tragic accident has occurred. The rescue is still ongoing.”

 

US President Donald Trump said yesterday: “My deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those involved in the terrible boat accident which just took place in Missouri.

“Such a tragedy, such a great loss. May God be with you all!”

The Ride the Ducks Branson boat company had been recently acquired by Ripley Entertainment Inc. Its president Jim Pattison said the boat had a captain and a driver with a commercial licence. While the captain was among the survivors, the driver drowned.

Mr Pattison added: “Obviously we shouldn’t be out there in severe weather.”

 

The company has been operating for 47 years without any incident such as this, he said.

He said he did not know whether the passengers and two crew members had time to put on life jackets.

He said: “People are supposed to be able to go out for an outing and have a good time. This should never end this way – there’s not much more you can say.”

Duck boats were originally used by the US military in the Second World War as an alternative method of transporting troops and supplies.

 

Later they were modified for use as sightseeing vehicles with the first “duck tour” company being set up in 1946 in Wisconsin.

However, they have been involved in a number of fatal accidents in the past two decades.

The company that builds ducks, Ride the Ducks International LLC, was fined $1million (£760,000) in 2016 after one of the vehicles collided with a bus in Seattle, killing five students.

And two tourists died in Philadelphia in 2010 when the duck boat they were riding in was struck by a tugboat on the Delaware River.