BRANSON, Mo. — Divers started the task Monday of resurfacing the duck boat 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 CT. Blue buoys marked a spot on the lake’s surface; about 80 feet below was the sunken duck boat.
A Coast Guard official on scene told reporters that divers would go down and rig the boat to a crane on the barge. Once the connection is stable, the boat will be lifted to the lake’s surface.
When the boat is in the air, water will be pumped out. If the duck can float, it will be towed to shore.
► July 22: Ban duck boat tours, former NTSB chairman says after Branson sinking
► July 22: Nurse, guardsman attempted to save Branson duck boat victims
► July 21: Would wearing life jackets have made deadly duck boat accident worse?
The Coast Guard is overseeing the operation but is not performing 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 also is located on Table Rock Lake, about 20 miles west of Branson.
The operation was expected to take about five hours if conditions were favorable.
Ride The Ducks Branson
Two small drones hovered near the barge and the Missouri State Highway Patrol dive boat while a news helicopter flew far overhead. Closer to the surface on the beautiful Ozarks morning, a small flock of ducks swam cautiously nearby.
Among the 17 people who died last week when the amphibious vessel swamped and sank during a thunderstorm that brought hurricane-like winds to the lake near Branson were nine members of the Coleman family of 11 from Indianapolis.
Ride the Ducks Branson, which operates the land and water tours, offered Monday to pay funeral and medical costs for victims and survivors.
"We are offering to pay for all related medical bills and funeral expenses, return all personal items from the rescue scene, and assist with any related travel or accommodations that will help the families in their time of need," company officials said on their Facebook page.
All of the duck boat survivors who had been hospitalized in CoxHealth's Branson hospital have been discharged, CoxHealth said Sunday evening on Twitter.
The crash is one of the deadliest U.S. boating tragedies in recent history and has drawn national attention to this southwest Missouri tourist town of 10,000. The fatal sinking has also renewed focus on decades-old concerns about the safety of duck boats.
The wreckage temporarily will go into the custody of the National Transportation Safety Board for inspection as part of an investigation that may take a year to complete.
The federal agency has conducted interviews and already has taken possession of a video recorder from on-board the duck boat, a World War II-era craft refurbished for modern tourism. It is unclear whether the device is operable or whether its data can be obtained.
The Ride the Ducks Branson company, a subsidiary of Ripley Entertainment, has suspended operation pending the investigation. Ripley purchased the Branson duck boat operation in late 2017.
BRANSON, Mo. — Divers started the task Monday of resurfacing the duck boat 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 CT. Blue buoys marked a spot on the lake’s surface; about 80 feet below was the sunken duck boat.
A Coast Guard official on scene told reporters that divers would go down and rig the boat to a crane on the barge. Once the connection is stable, the boat will be lifted to the lake’s surface.
When the boat is in the air, water will be pumped out. If the duck can float, it will be towed to shore.
► July 22: Ban duck boat tours, former NTSB chairman says after Branson sinking
► July 22: Nurse, guardsman attempted to save Branson duck boat victims
► July 21: Would wearing life jackets have made deadly duck boat accident worse?
The Coast Guard is overseeing the operation but is not performing 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 also is located on Table Rock Lake, about 20 miles west of Branson.
The operation was expected to take about five hours if conditions were favorable.
Ride The Ducks Branson
Two small drones hovered near the barge and the Missouri State Highway Patrol dive boat while a news helicopter flew far overhead. Closer to the surface on the beautiful Ozarks morning, a small flock of ducks swam cautiously nearby.
Among the 17 people who died last week when the amphibious vessel swamped and sank during a thunderstorm that brought hurricane-like winds to the lake near Branson were nine members of the Coleman family of 11 from Indianapolis.
Ride the Ducks Branson, which operates the land and water tours, offered Monday to pay funeral and medical costs for victims and survivors.
"We are offering to pay for all related medical bills and funeral expenses, return all personal items from the rescue scene, and assist with any related travel or accommodations that will help the families in their time of need," company officials said on their Facebook page.
All of the duck boat survivors who had been hospitalized in CoxHealth's Branson hospital have been discharged, CoxHealth said Sunday evening on Twitter.
The crash is one of the deadliest U.S. boating tragedies in recent history and has drawn national attention to this southwest Missouri tourist town of 10,000. The fatal sinking has also renewed focus on decades-old concerns about the safety of duck boats.
The wreckage temporarily will go into the custody of the National Transportation Safety Board for inspection as part of an investigation that may take a year to complete.
The federal agency has conducted interviews and already has taken possession of a video recorder from on-board the duck boat, a World War II-era craft refurbished for modern tourism. It is unclear whether the device is operable or whether its data can be obtained.
The Ride the Ducks Branson company, a subsidiary of Ripley Entertainment, has suspended operation pending the investigation. Ripley purchased the Branson duck boat operation in late 2017.
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