Vigils for lake victims
Survivor claims captain told boat passengers to ignore life jackets
A SURVIVOR from the family who lost nine relatives in a tourist boat accident in the US says the captain told passengers not to bother grabbing life jackets. Tia Coleman told an Indianapolis television station that she and a nephew were the only survivors among 11 relatives aboard the duck boat.
She said she lost all her children, but she did not say how many. Her comments came as vigils were held by a grief-stricken community following the death of 17 people in the boat accident in Missouri.
At one memorial, about 300 people gathered in the carpark of Ride the Ducks of Branson and sang Amazing Grace.
Divers found the final four bodies yesterday in Table Rock Lake, near Branson, after the deadliest accident of its kind in nearly two decades.
An initial assessment blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength, but it was not clear why the amphibious vehicle even ventured out.
Officials have not released the names of the victims, but details emerged throughout the day. Among them were a popular duck boat driver, a father and son visiting from Arkansas, and nine relatives from Indiana, many of them children, who were on the illfated boat because of a mix-up.
The National Weather Service in Springfield, about 65km north of Branson, issued a severe thunderstorm watch for its immediate area on Friday saying conditions were ripe for winds of 112km/h.
It followed up at 6.32pm with a severe thunderstorm warning for three counties that included Branson and the lake. The warning mentioned both locations. The boat went down about 40 minutes later, shortly after 7pm local time.
Suzanne Smagala, of Ripley Entertainment, which owns Ride the Ducks in Branson, said the company was assisting authorities.
She said this was the company’s only accident in more than 40 years of operation.