BRANSON, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri sheriff says at least 13 people have now been confirmed dead after a Ride the Ducks boat carrying tourists on Table Rock Lake near Branson capsized and sank during severe weather Thursday night. Divers found two more bodies Friday morning.
Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader says seven people have been hospitalized, two of them in critical condition, and four others remain missing. There are 14 survivors of the accident.
Rader says stormy weather is believed to be what caused the Ride the Ducks boat to capsize Thursday night.National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Lindenberg says the agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Branson area Thursday evening. He says winds reached speeds of more than 60 mph.
Sheriff Rader said during a news conference Friday he believes the boat sank in 40 feet of water and rolled into 80 feet of water. He says the Missouri State Highway Patrol divers have located the vessel, which is on its wheels in Table Rock Lake in the Branson area. Authorities plan to recover the boat later Friday.
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