At least 11 people, including children, have drowned in Missouri after a ‘duck boat’ capsized and sank in stormy weather.
The boat was carrying 31 people on a ride around Table Rock Lake, near Branson, Missouri when it got into difficulty in the stormy waters.
Seven people were taken to hospital following the incident.
Raw video footage taken by an eyewitness shows the “Ride the Ducks” amphibious vehicle battling against the strong waves. Another ‘duck boat’ can also be seen getting tossed about by the waves but this boat managed to make it to back to safety.
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Emergency crews responded to the incident shorty after 7pm local time yesterday.
Branson was under a severe thunderstorm warning. The warning was issued shortly before 6:30 pm local time, about half an hour before the boat capsized,
CNN Reports.
“Our number one priority is the families and our employees that were affected by this tragic accident; as of this time right now we are assisting the authorities as they continue with their search and rescue operation,” said Suzanne Smagala-Potts, as spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment, which owns Ride the Ducks in Branson.
At least five people were unaccounted for when divers finished their rescue operations on Thursday night. The search effort is set to continue later today.
