S E E D E D C O N T E N T
# BreakingNews -- 11 people now confirmed dead, some of them children. 5 people are still missing in the duck boat sinking on Table Rock Lake tonight. A tragic night in the Ozarks. @ kytv
Latest Update from Sheriff Doug Rader, 17 Now confirmed dead in Boating Tragedy on Table Rock Lake MO.
I live on Table Rock Lake...Around 7pm tonight straight line winds hit the lake with speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour, causing 3 foot waves.
5 people are still missing. Rescue operations have been discontinued for the night.
BRANSON - The Stone County Sheriff has confirmed that diving searches have ended for the night and will resume the morning of Friday, July 20.
Eleven people are dead and seven injured after a duck boat capsized at Table Rock Lake Thursday evening.
Sister station KY3 has reported that five on the boat are still missing.
Cox Health in Springfield has reported that of the seven injured, two are currently in critical condition.
CoxHealth @CoxHealth
We now have 7 patients from the local water disaster being treated at Cox Branson. Two are in critical condition.
The incident happened just after 7 p.m., as severe thunderstorms moved through the area.
Multiple emergency departments are responding. It remains a rescue and recovery mission.
Governor Mike Parson, Senator Claire McCaskill , Senator Caleb Rowden and others have responded to the news.
Governor Mike Parson
✔ @GovParsonMO
Very sad to hear about this horrible accident - prayers for all those involved and the first responders who are assisting.
NBC News
✔ @NBCNews
Emergency crews are responding to the scene of a boat crash on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri. https:// nbcnews.to/2zVcuEn - @ kytv
The Stone County Sheriff confirmed the eleven fatalities and said the boat sank.
The sheriff said there were 31 people, including children on board, seven of whom have been transported to a hospital.
The boat is still in the water and divers are searching for victims.
Crews set up a staging area near Showboat Branson Belle, but said the incident has nothing to do with Belle.
The sheriff is asking for any family missing someone to go to Branson City Hall. They also suggest calling the City of Branson Emergency Response at 417-337-8515.
This is a horrible tragedy. Rescue and recovery operations have been discontinued for the night.
The winds lasted for approx. 45 to an hour at our house.
There were two duck boats trying to make it to shore, one made it the other didn't. There was also another boat (non duck boat) near by and it was being tossed around like a small toy. It survived.
At this point as far as I can tell this happened close to the Branson Belle which was docked and south of Indian Point.
Someone on board the Branson Belle video recorded the whole thing. I'm not going to post the video because it shows the boat fighting to make the shore then being pulled under and the 11 people drowning.
I saw this on our local news this morning. At lunch, the news stated that all the missing have been found. I believe 17 dead in total
Horrible tragedy
Dear Brother Kavika: A terrible tragedy indeed.
May the Source of all comfort and healing give these and more in abundance to those in need at this time of travail.
Enoch.
Sadly some of the dead and missing are children, niijii.
Dear Brother Kavika: Taken far too soon.
E.
A/noon..Yes very sad news coming out of the USA re this...Sympathy to the family and friends of the lost souls..and courage and respect to the emergency services who are doing their best to find the lost....
Very sad.
I thought I remembered this was very near the area where you lived, Kavika. What a terrible tragedy. Very, very sad. I hope the others that are still missing will be found safe.
It about 2 miles down the lake from us RW.
I hope that they find the missing, but it doesn't look good. Two of the people taken to the hospital are in critical condition as well.
A/noon Kavika...If you happen to take flowers or any other memento down that way, please take one for me and leave it there.....So sorry this has happened in your area...I hope the spirits of the lost walk upon your land at peace...and know you are there to watch over them....
I certainly will Shona.
Thank you from afar....
Kavika, I read this morning that there are 17 dead. That is truly sad. I also read that there was a huge storm that moved through the mid-west with high winds and heavy rains. Was that part of what caused the rough waters that Duck Boat to capsize?
Here is a report of that storm front and also a story about the capsized Duck Boat.
The storm literally came out of nowhere RW...We were sitting on the front deck and it was sunny, within a couple of minutes the trees were near bent in half and the wind was ripping branches of the trees. I suspect that they were out on the water when it hit as the video shows them struggling to get to shore (2 duck boats) they were with yards of getting to shore when the one boat sunk.
The video is from a passenger on the Branson Belle a huge paddler wheeler that was docked. It was very close to the Belle as the crew from the Belle where throwing rope and life preservers to them and in fact some of the crew of the Belle jumped into that cauldron....Damn brave crew members.
I have been in a couple of storms like that when living in Texas. One minute the sun is shining and the birds are chirping, and then next the sky is black and the wind is gale force out of nowhere. It is hard to predict those kind of storms, especially, in the summer with the many variations in the temps, humidity and upper air conditions contrasting with the lower ones. It can happen in the matter of quick minutes.
However, as they were in a boat and out on the water to start with, I can't imagine why the passengers were not all wearing life jackets. Anything can happen without warning when out on the water, and it is best to be prepared up front.
A/noon Raven....Unfortunately I think you will find the missing will also be gone..The sea/lake is always very fickle as Mother Nature lets us know now and then, she is still in charge. So very very sad for all concerned....
Hi shona, I think you may be right, as there are now 17 declared dead. What a terrible tragedy. What started out as a day of fun ended in such a horribly tragic way. MY heart and prayers go out to the families, and for the souls of those who have walked on.
Such a horrible tragedy. My sincere hope ~ all are found to bring peace and comfort to the families and may those hospitalized have full and complete recovery.
Heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking. So many lives impacted in a brief moment in time.
As soon as I saw this article my heart missed a beat - because I knew it was close to Kavika, whose home overlooks Table Lake. I had just been thinking about the recent Ferry Boat tragedies in Asian waters - and when I saw this article it brought it home to the fact that these things could happen where we or our friends are.
Early morning reports are that divers recovered two more bodies, bringing the death toll to 13. This is unconfirmed as of this post.
The Sheriff just confirmed that two more bodies have been recovered. So 13 is the correct number of dead.
My heart sank when i read this one. Probably shouldn't have been out there in the first place with the front that was predicted to come through.
Sad!
The latest update by the Sheriff Dept.
13 dead, 4 still missing and 2 at hospital in critical condition. This is confirmed information.
The weather warning went out a 6:32 PM...The boats were hit at 7 PM...Doppler showed the storm front and it seems that the boats were beyond the front edge. What the meteorologist said this morning was the the winds out in front of the storm didn't show on doppler...I have no idea if this is correct or not. Just reporting what I'm watching on local TV right now.
Yeah, that sort of storm is unpredictable. We get that here in Michigan sometimes when they cross the Great Lakes just right. I'm sure this event will change their policy of when they go out, or it should.
I know we try to stay off the big Lakes when big fronts are predicted or at least those of us who respect the unpredictable power of such storms stay away. Not everyone does unfortunately.
Evening Kavika..I am glad they are able to find the lost souls....for the families that will be in some respects, a relief..The seas around here very rarely give up the lost and many have never been found....their final resting place is the relentless waves and the shifting sands for eternity....We have a memorial wall here...and there are to many names upon it....Mother Nature can be at her best a times and in the blink of an eye at her worst.....
North of us in Springfield the storm caused a lot of damage, downed trees and power lines. Thousands without power this morning. Springfield is 40 miles north of Table Rock Lake.
I'l be checking this AM to see if my boat made it without damage.
Tis the season unfortunately ..... hope your boat is okay and stay safe!
Yes, boat is fine it was up on the lift, but the roof of the marina dock is in need of some repair. Winds pealed back parts of it.
I looking at the lake from my front deck and it's very calm, much like glass at the moment. Difficult to imagine that less 24 hours ago it was a death trap.
My local news said the same thing. There were no reports of adverse conditions that might occur. It sounds like it was a non expected freak weather occurrance. My heart goes out to those lost and injured.
You learn to respect the possibilities of thunder storms, sometimes the hard way. I know I did. Something similar, storms predicted but nothing serious. It was getting late, we needed to be at work the next day so in spite of our better judgement decided to collect our decoys and head for the landing. Storm kicked up hard on the way in, we were doing fine, making good headway until we sheared a pin and lost power, next wave swamped us and we were swimming in 50 degree water with no exposure protection. Not good.
We floated for over an hour and were lucky someone saw us go in and they picked us up. I probably wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t. I don’t mess with the possibilities of T-boomers any more. It’s just not worth it.
I've seen a map of that lake, and at no point does it seem to have a really wide expanse of water to build up wave size, although it has many long "fingers". I guess it's possible to build up 3-foot waves if the wind is in the direction of a lengthy part of the lake, but I do find it surprising that a boat that size would not be able to weather them if smaller ones could - perhaps the wind struck its side and pushed it over. I always knew that in a situation like that to keep the bow headed into the wind and waves, but then perhaps it was just the "Perfect Storm".
It’s a pretty big lake, regardless, you’d be surprised how a lake like that can get to rockin and rolling in severe weather. It’s nothing to under estimate. Trust me.
Buzz, the lake is very long with numerous fingers. The area is well known for very strong winds that come out of nowhere. The winds registered 63 MPH at the airport, and over 70 MPH on the water.
The waves were 3 feet but at the height of storm some of the waves reached 5 to 6 feet. The Duck is a fairly slow vehicle in the water. The 5 minute video shows both Ducks fighting the waves trying to reach shore and taking on water. IMO, the metal roofs added to them was a dangerous thing. In the last accident like this in Arkansas 20 years ago the NTSB found that those roofs trapped passengers when the Ducks started to sink. In the video you can see how this could happen. I would post the video Buzz, but what you see is 17 people dying. So I've decided not to post it on this article. Other boats were battered as well and some were in grave danger of sinking or being battered to pieces on the rocky shoreline.
The Ducks are not, IMO, the safest thing in rough water.
I grew up and at times have lived on some of the largest fresh water bodies in the US/World...Lake Superior, Lake of the Woods, Lake Mead, Red Lake. All of them had one thing in commen, high winds were killers on these bodies of water.
If you remember the story I wrote about the ''Hunting Wind'' on Lake of Woods. This storm yesterday was a perfect example of that.
Most definitely. I think that these boats were built as a modification of military surplus DUKW's. In the original configuration, they had enough freeboard to handle some pretty heavy surf in their job of putting troops ashore and were fairly well balanced so they wouldn't turn over easily.
When they were modified, however, a lot of excess weight was added above the waterline, making them unstable. The cabin that was added topside not only made them topheavy and unbalanced but the cabin, while more comfortable than the original open deck, was a deathtrap, having only one exit.
TTGA, the NTSB report on the accident in Arkansas in 1999 pointed out how dangerous these Ducks are. What they spelled out and the recommended modifications were NOT implemented by the majority of the operators. Since there is no federal oversight of them it's left up to the states and the laws and oversight is not adequate at all..
Perhaps this tragedy will change that.
I saw a report of one man that decided not to go. He said it looked to rough for him so he and his wife got a refund and didn't go.
From what I am seeing, they should have kept docked and not went out. Then again weather can be very unpredictable.
Sad.
Your correct ender. But it wasn't the water that was to rough, he was looking at the sky and sensed that this wasn't the time to head out into the lake.
Ah. It was a quick report.
Hard to watch any of the footage. I would have felt completely useless.
The video is pretty terrifying and heart breaking Ender.
Sorry to learn of this news. When families are out for fun together and tragedy strikes the bite seems to sting a little more.
So sorry to hear of this. Terrible tragedy.
Terrible tragedy. We saw it on the news and found it horrifying to watch.
I have taken duck boats to see Boston. The do have life preservers, but I have to say, that I don't remember anyone putting them on, including us.
We all see to forget, that we can drown in inches of water, never mind a huge lake. A lesson to be learned. Although, I think that a capsized duck boat is hard to get out of.
Latest update. Sheriff Doug Rader confirmed that the 4 missing bodies have been recovered, bringing to 17 the dead from this horrible accident.
Oh my god, its just awful. My heart hurts for those families.
There is a special tragic poignancy that is felt when fatal disasters occur while people, families are having fun. I'm sure a boat ride on the lake was looked forward to by all, especially the children. We never know when fate will take over.
Condolences to the families of the dead.
A photo of Table Rock Lake 18 hours after the tragedy. Hard to comprehend how calm it is now compared to the storm last night.
Photo taken from my front deck.
Dear Brother Kavika: Now comes the time to bring in the Clergy and/or Chaplains or all types to Greater Stone County.
There are final services to commemorate and celebrate lives of those no longer in the here and now.
Moreover, those who lost have Pastoral care needs to be addressed.
Enoch.
So the disaster occurred at the other end of the lake? (the top of your photo)
looking out at the lake it would have been to the right and down lake about a mile and a half..
Wow, nice hootch kavika ..... congrats
looks like you do your share of grass farming as well
Thanks Sparty...Yeah do some grass farming but also have to dodge the animals. We have plenty of deer, coyotes, bobcat, black bear, occasional cougar and all the little creatures that inhabit the area.
In fact two days ago when i got up in the morning and fixed coffee and looked out the door (glass insert) there was a buck standing on the steps looking right back at me...
Damn it! You have a view people (like me) would kill for. (Well, maybe that was a little extreme, but I'm sure as hell jealous.)
This is already being addressed niijii...Last night the city of Branson provided pastoral care, rooms, meals, mental health experts all available to survivors and their families and anyone (rescue workers) that needed it.
It was amazing how fast the Branson mobilized in the face of this overwhelming tragedy.
Such a great quick response to such a terrible tragedy says a great deal about the people of Branson, those in the local government, rescue services and those who are providing the other much needed accommodations to come together.
The Creator will not forget their willingness to quickly stand at the fore and do what is needed to help those who have survived and their families, as well as the families of those who have walked on.
Dear Brother Kavika: Good on them!
E.
It was reported and confirmed that 9 members of one family from Indiana all we killed, two other members survived.
There were a lot of boats caught in this storm. Some tried to help the sinking Duck Boat and actually rescued a few of the people from the Duck boat. They put themselves in great danger.
Wow.....that is really a terrible family tragedy. Good that some of the other boats helped some of the survivors on the capsized boat. Are there still any missing?
No, all are accounted for. The last four bodies were found this morning.
That is good. At least all the passengers are accounted for now.
Morning..A very sad day for the US and everyone concerned...Deepest sympathy to all, especially for the family and friends of the lost souls..what started out to be a perfect day has turned into absolute tragedy...With much heart felt sadness from across the Pacific....
While it’s sad for the families of the lost ones to put it in perspective we have almost a hundred per day killed in the USA in motor vehicle accidents. In the big picture it’s just a blip on the screen.
Thank you for such a touching comment regarding the deaths of the people involved in THIS article. It really makes no difference how THIS tragedy relates to how many people are killed in motor vehicle accidents. If you wish to make such a comparison, you should start your own article and never mind THIS article that is about a tragic event at THIS location. And not at all related to our callus disregard of the lives lost in THIS tragedy.
I suppose that I could comment on that Dean, but it really isn't worth it.
I am with you....
No problem. Could be I see things differently as I tend to look at these things from an analytical perspective.
Would you be able to apply your analytical perspective if one of your family members were aboard and died? I know some who do not display empathy and view life differently than I do, so my asking is not snarky. Truly wanting to know how you process loss in your own life.