The town of Branson in Missouri is a tourist attraction because of Table Rock Lake which is famous for its duck boat rides. The US has some of the best tourist attractions. One of the boat rides in Branson turned into a tragedy when it capsized in stormy weather and took 17 lives. Nine of them belonged to a single family of Indianapolis. One of the dead was the crew member who was driving the boat.
The Washington Post reports that preliminary investigation points to the thunderstorms and strong hurricane-like winds as the cause and a full investigation was underway.
The weather service station in Springfield had warned about an approaching thunderstorm in the region with high-speed winds of nearly 70mph.
Pleasure trip in a duck boat ends in a tragedy
Branson is located southeast of Kansas City, and is well-known as a “country music, amusement parks, and outdoor activities.” Table Rock Lake is situated east of Branson Kansas City has, incidentally, placed bid for Amazon HQ2.
Ripley Entertainment owns Ride the Ducks in Branson, and the ill-fated amphibious duck boat was one of its vessels. Ripley has been in business for more than four decades, and an official has said that the accident was a first for them. There were 29 passengers along with two crew members, and it was to have been a 70-minute guided tour around the lake.
Tia Coleman, a survivor of the tragedy, lost her family members including her one-year-old daughter. Tia has revealed that there were life jackets on the boat, but the captain had assured that there was no need to wear them. The boat is believed to have a camera, and there could also be audio recordings. Once the wreckage is recovered from the bottom of the lake, further details will be known.
The company has suspended its operations pending investigations.
Branson mourns the deaths
According to the ABC News, the National Transportation Safety Board is already on the scene and will talk to the survivors and try to reconstruct the events that led to the duck boat tragedy in the Table Rock Lake. The team will collect physical evidence for further study.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has described it as “a heart-breaking tragedy,” and said, “we must all work together to support the victims and their families.” President Trump and the First Lady have also extended their “deepest sympathies to all those affected by yesterday’s boating accident.”
The incident has shocked the people of Branson because it is a tourist spot. Outsiders come to enjoy the boat rides, and this tragedy could have an adverse effect on tourism.
