Eight killed when boat capsizes on Table Rock

At least eight people were killed Thursday night when a tourist boat capsized in a southern Missouri lake as powerful thunderstorms passed through the Midwest, authorities said.

The amphibious boat, or duck boat, overturned in Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo., around 7 p.m. as wind exceeded 60 mph.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said the boat sank to the bottom of the lake and seven passengers were taken to a hospital. Divers were searching for missing passengers, and the sheriff said that would continue overnight.

A sheriff’s deputy was among those on the boat when it capsized and was assisting in the rescue, he said.

The boat capsized because of severe weather, Rader said, adding he believed all the fatalities were caused by drowning.

The Southern Stone County Fire Protection District said on Facebook 20 or more people were on the boat.

Suzanne Smagala-Potts, a spokesman for Ripley Entertainment, which owns the boat, said this was the first time an accident had happened at this location.

On May 1, 1999, 13 people died when a duck boat on Lake Hamilton sunk with 21 people aboard. The Miss Majestic, a converted World War II amphibious landing craft, began taking on water during a tour and sank within 30 seconds, witnesses said. Seven passengers and the operator were able to escape.

The National Traffic Safety Board in 2002 cited inadequate maintenance as the cause of the sinking, while also citing inadequate Coast Guard oversight.