Trump Extends Sympathies to Missouri Boat Accident Victims
VOA News
President Donald Trump, via Twitter, extended his “deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those involved in the terrible boat accident which just took place in Missouri.”
At least 13 people, including children, were killed when a tourist boat capsized and sank in a lake during a storm late Thursday in the midwestern state. Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Pace said the deceased were between the ages of one and 70.
The Stone County Sheriff’s office said Friday four people remain missing after the Ride the Ducks boat sank on Table Rock Lake. Missouri State Patrol divers are searching for them.
Thirty-one people were on the vehicle, which can travel on water as well as land. Officials say 14 people were rescued.
The vessel was one of two duck boats on the water at the time. The other boat made it to shore, according to reports.
Steve Lindenberg, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Springfield, Missouri, said the agency issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Branson area Thursday evening. Lindenberg said winds reached speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour.
The National Transportation Safety Board said investigators would arrive on the scene Friday.
The president of the company that owns the duck boat said in an interview with the program CBS This Morning that the vessel «shouldn’t have been in the water.» CBS said Jim Pattison, Jr., the president of Ripley Entertainment, was answering a question on why the boat was operating in rough weather. He told CBS that life jackets were on board the vehicle but that under law, the passengers were not required to wear them.
In honor of the victims, Missouri Governor Mike Parson ordered flags at all state and government offices to be flown at half-staff until sunset on July 27.
At a news conference, Parson said the state will do everything «within my powers» to make sure investigators have the resources needed to come to a conclusion on this incident and to finish with the investigation of this tragedy.
Branson is about 320 kilometers southeast of Kansas City. It is a popular vacation spot for families and other tourists seeking entertainment, from theme parks to live music.