BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the deadly sinking of a duck boat in a southern Missouri lake (all times local):
11:30 a.m.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the National Transportation Safety Board will take custody of the duck boat that capsized in Missouri now that it’s been raised from Table Rock Lake.
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Scott Stoermer spoke to reporters after the boat was raised Monday morning. Seventeen people were killed Thursday when the boat sank amid a thunderstorm that generated near-hurricane strength winds.
Stoermer says it took until Monday to remove the boat from the lake because that’s how much time was needed to amass the necessary equipment.
Stoermer says the boat was photographed underwater before being brought to the surface. He said he could not discuss specifics of the boat’s condition.
Nine of the people who died belonged to one Indiana family. Others killed came from Missouri, Arkansas and Illinois.
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11 a.m.
A duck boat that sank in southern Missouri, killing 17 people aboard, has been raised.
Live broadcast footage from KYTV showed a crane that is attached to a barge pulling the Ride the Ducks boat from Table Rock Lake on Monday morning. A boat pushed it toward the shore.
The boat sank Thursday night in churning waves near the tourist town of Branson. The victims were from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. The boat was submerged in 80 feet (24 meters) of water.
The National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating what caused the boat to sink.
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BRANSON — Ripley Entertainment, the company that acquired Ride the Ducks Branson in December of 2017, released a statement Monday about the deadly accident investigation on the company website.
“We remain deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred at Ride the Ducks Branson. Our focus from the start has been on the guests, families, and employees who were affected last Thursday.
Today, we continue to focus our efforts on the families. We are offering to pay for all related medical bills and funeral expenses, return all personal items from the rescue scene, and assist with any related travel or accommodations that will help the families in their time of need. An event like this deeply touches everyone and we are also providing grief counseling to our employees who have been affected by this tragic accident.
We are fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Highway Patrol and all federal and state authorities involved in the investigation. The investigation is being managed by the NTSB. Because we are a party to the NTSB investigation, we are not allowed to comment on any aspect of it. However, our job is to cooperate and provide information to those officials and to comfort the families of those affected by this tragic event.
Thank you for your support, and we continue to ask that your thoughts and prayers be with the families during this difficult time.”
On Thursday evening, one duck boat sank during a storm killing 17 people aboard.