Branson duck boat raised from bottom of lake for probe

BRANSON, Mo. – Salvage operators resurfaced the duck boat Monday that sunk last week during a severe thunderstorm, killing 17 people.

Divers with the Missouri State Highway Patrol joined a floating barge in the water at 9:24 a.m CDT to start bringing the duck boat to the surface from its resting place 80 feet below. By 10:10 a.m., a crane brought it up, and workers on the barge operated pumps to clear water from it, allowing the boat to float.

Initially, officials had said the operation was expected to take about five hours, but fewer than 90 minutes had elapsed from the time the divers submerged.

The boat will be taken to a “secure facility” where the Highway Patrol will transfer custody of the boat to the National Transportation Safety Board, said Capt. Scott Stoermer with the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard was overseeing the operation but did not perform the actual salvage work.

Ride the Ducks Branson submitted a salvage plan that included contracting with Fitzco Marine Group of Shell Knob, Missouri, according to the Coast Guard official. The company is also located on Table Rock Lake, about 20 miles west of Branson.

Among the 17 people who died last week when the amphibious vessel swamped and sank during a thunderstorm that brought hurricanelike winds to the lake near Branson were nine members of the Coleman family of 11 from Indianapolis.

Ride the Ducks Branson offered Monday to pay funeral and medical costs for victims and survivors.