Boat capsizes in Missouri lake, 8 killed

A duck boat packed with dozens of tourists in Missouri’s Ozarks capsized amid rough weather Thursday night, killing at least eight people, according to local reports and authorities.

First responders with the Southern Stone County Fire Protection District rushed to Table Rock Lake around 7 p.m. local time to search for survivors after a “Ride the Ducks” sightseeing vessel sank with 31 passengers aboard.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said eight people were dead, according to KCTV-TV.

Seven more people, including three children, were rushed to CoxHealth in the nearby city of Branson. Two of the victims were in critical condition.

The vessel belongs to the Bransonbased tour company known for ferrying tourists on a 70-minute ride through the reservoir, about eight miles north of the Arkansas border.

The cause of the sinking was not immediately known though heavy winds whipped up white-capped waves shortly before the vessel sank, according to video.

The footage, taken from a showboat, shows a pair of duck boats struggling to navigate a gauntlet of waves during the brunt of the storm. One boat managed to power through while the other repeatedly rocked back and forth in the waves.