Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader BRANSON, Mo. – Eleven people, including at least one child, are dead and several others hospitalized after an amphibious duck boat capsized Thursday on Table Rock Lake in Missouri. According to Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader, a Ride the Ducks tourist boat reportedly sank with 31 people on board. Rader said an off-duty sheriff's deputy was working security at the scene and helped rescue survivors. Recovery efforts continued after dark, with some passengers still unaccounted for. A dive team from Western Taney County was in the water and a team from the Missouri State Highway Patrol was on the way, as well. More:Eyewitness video: Joplin couple on Branson Belle saw duck boat disaster happen More:Eyewitness to storm that sank Table Rock duck boat: 'I've never seen anything like it' First responders from multiple agencies responded to the incident, initially reported as a “mass casualty incident” involving a "tourist type boat" on Table Rock Lake near Branson. Divers staged near the Showboat Branson Belle, according to a statement issued by the Southern Stone County Fire Protection District. The statement, issued at 8:20 p.m., specified that the Branson Belle itself was not involved. Rader said weather was thought to have caused a Ride the Ducks tourist boat to capsize. Weather reports said high winds hit the area at about 7 p.m. Jim Pulley, owner of Sea Tow Table Rock Lake, said the storm hit the lake with 80 mph winds that kicked up waves 5 feet high. He said his Sea Tow boats were helping with crowd control near the site where the Duck boat capsized a short distance behind the Showboat Branson Belle, which was tied to its dock. More:State Park Marina sent help to capsized Table Rock duck boat: 'We took immediate action' “The Ducks have a ramp access where they put in, and when the wind hit it pushed the boat right square behind the Branson Belle,” Pulley said. Pulley said several docks also broke loose during the wind storm, and the Water Patrol helped rescue people from two personal watercraft boats that capsized in the wind. A spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment said the company is aware of an incident involving one of its tour boats. The schedule for Thursday showed there were tours every 30 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Steve Linderberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said a severe line of storms blew through the Springfield area between 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. "We had a line of very strong thunderstorms that caused 74 mph winds here in Springfield," he said. Linderberg said a top wind speed of 63 mph was measured at the Branson Airport near 7 p.m. Thursday. He said the winds were likely stronger over the lake. "There's nothing to slow down winds in an open area," he said.<doc-sep>Seventeen people are dead after an amphibious duck boat with tourists on board sank in a heavy storm near Branson, Missouri on Thursday. The Stone County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the death toll on Friday morning after a dive team concluded recovery efforts to find four missing bodies. The boat, from Ride the Ducks Branson, was one of two vessels caught in a heavy storm that rolled into the area about 7 p.m. local time. Videos posted on local media showed two boats struggling to make it to shore on Table Rock Lake amid heavy windy and choppy waters. There were 31 people – 29 passengers and two crew members – aboard the capsized boat, according to the Stone County Sheriff’s Office. At a press conference Friday morning, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said the driver of the duck boat died in the accident, but the boat’s captain was among the survivors. He said an off-duty sheriff’s deputy working on security for the nearby Branson Belle riverboat in Table Rock Lake helped to rescue people in the water after the accident. “It’s been a long night and a very trying night,” Rader said. Seventeen people have been confirmed dead, including children. Fourteen survived, with seven taken to hospital. Those who died ranged in age from 1 to 70 years old, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Pace. Rader said Friday morning that he did not have more information about whether the boat operators had checked the weather forecast before leaving shore or whether passengers had been wearing life jackets on board. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the accident. “Right now, it’s just a time for thoughts and prayers. There’s a lot of healing that has to take place right now,” Missouri Governor Mike Parson said at Friday’s press conference. “All those details will come in time, but for right now, it’s about really trying to protect the families, to unite the families and to deal with the situation they’re in. I think that’s the most important thing.” Who are the victims of the duck boat accident? The Stone County Sheriff’s Office on Friday released the names of the 17 victims. They include nine members of the same family, a couple from St. Louis, a couple from Higginsville, a father and son from Arkansas and a grandmother who died saving her granddaughter, according to local media reports. The boat’s driver, Bob Williams, was also among the deceased. Why did the duck boat sink? Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader attributed the sinking to heavy winds. The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Branson area Thursday evening. Wind speeds reached 60 mph, a weather service meteorologist in Springfield told the Associated Press. “They were coming back to land. There were actually two ducks. The first one made it out and the second one didn’t,” Rader said at a press conference Thursday night. Video posted to the Springfield News-Leader showed the two boats struggling to make it to shore in heavy wind and waves. Onlooker Jennie P. Carr, who was on the Branson Belle Showboat as people had dinner, recorded footage of the boat’s nose sinking below the water. The camera turned away before the boat sank. “It got closer to us on the Showboat and you could see water going into the boat. I did see he was starting to sink. It was leaning to the right,” she told the newspaper. She said the boat was out of sight when it sank. What is the duck boat operator saying? On Friday morning the operators’ website was replaced by an image of a black ribbon, with a statement reading: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred at Ride The Ducks Branson. This incident has deeply affected all of us. Words cannot convey how profoundly our hearts are breaking.” It continued, “We will continue to do all we can to assist the families who were involved and the authorities as they continue with the search and rescue. The safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority. Ride the Ducks will be closed for business while we support the investigation, and to allow time to grieve for the families and the community.” “Thank you for your support, and we ask that your thoughts and prayers be with the families during this time.” Have there been other fatal duck boat accidents? In 1999, a duck boat on Lake Hamilton, Arkansas, sank, drowning 13 of its 21 passengers. After that incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said the roof canopy of the boat was to blame, after finding four of the victims pinned against the roof at the bottom of the lake. Three more were also trapped inside the boat. In 2015, a duck boat collided with a charter bus on a bridge in Seattle, killing five people and injuring 69. And in 2016, a duck boat in Boston struck and killed a motorist, sparking a debate over the vessels’ safety. What is a duck boat? A duck boat is the colloquial name for an amphibious vehicle that can operate on land and in the water. The vehicles are based off a military design first used during World War II. They are now a common vehicle in lake tours around the world. Ride The Ducks Branson was acquired by entertainment giant Ripley in December 2017. How are officials responding? Missouri Governor Mike Parson ordered all flags at government offices in the state to be flown at half-staff for a week to honor the victims of the boating accident. President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the victims of the accident, saying “My deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those involved in the terrible boat accident which just took place in Missouri. Such a tragedy, such a great loss. May God be with you all!” Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. 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Seventeen people, including children, were killed when a duck boat sank on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, on Thursday evening. Nine members of one family and the driver of the Ride the Ducks tourist boat were among the victims as the vessel sank in 40 feet of water, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told reporters Friday. The captain of the boat survived. Rader said the amphibious boat is currently resting upright on its wheels in 80 feet of water. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said other details of the accident remained unclear as local, state and federal authorities began an investigation. The Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce has partnered with other area groups to collect donations through GoFundMe for those impacted by the incident. What happened? The boat, carrying 29 passengers and two crew members, flipped during a severe thunderstorm. Seven passengers – three children and four adults – received medical attention at the nearby Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri. Three were admitted as patients. Two are in the critical care unit and one is in "fair condition," said Kaitlyn McConnell, a media relations coordinator at CoxHealth. The death toll rose to 17 throughout Thursday evening and into the morning Friday as missing passengers were found in the lake. What was the weather like? The National Weather Service in Springfield predicted winds up to 70 mph Thursday, and issued a severe thunderstorm watch from 11:20 a.m. until 9 p.m., according to NWS meteorologist Kelsey Angle. "Conditions were coming together for the potential for severe storms, with widespread damaging winds likely," Angle said. "Isolated winds gusts of 70 to 75 miles per hour would be possible." The storm hit the lake with 80 mph winds that kicked up waves 5 feet high, said Capt. Jim Pulley, owner of Sea Tow Table Rock Lake. The Branson Airport reported winds of 63 mph at 7:25 p.m., Angle said. Rolling terrain, trees and buildings can slow "straight-line" wind but it picks up speed when it hits flat, open water because there is less drag to slow it down, she added. How are duck boats regulated? Federal officials have expressed concerns for nearly 20 years about duck boat regulations. Because the boats operate on both land and water, they are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as well as the Coast Guard. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, has complained about a lack of uniform oversight for these vehicles. Because they are part boat and part bus, rules like when passengers must wear seat belts – yes on land, no in the water– can be confusing for companies. What are the issues with their canopies? Another safety concern for duck boats is their canopies. The Coast Guard requires all passengers wear life jackets while on the water. However, the NTSB recommends that passengers not wear them on duck boats because, if the boat sinks, passengers can become stuck under the canopy. The NTSB has also urged the removal of canopies from the vehicles, but many companies who give duck boat tours leave them on. Have there been other deadly duck boat accidents? Duck boats — amphibious vehicles that can travel on both land and water — have a long history of fatal crashes and accidents. In 2015, five college students died and 69 others were injured in Seattle when a duck boat crashed with a bus. That same year, a woman in Philadelphia was killed when she was hit by a duck boat while crossing a street. What are duck boats? Duck boats were first used during World War II to carry supplies over land and water to troops. When the war ended, the military made certain supplies available to the public, and Bob Unger, a veteran from Minnesota, purchased a boat and began giving tours along the Wisconsin River. Since then, duck boat tours have become popular attractions across the United States, especially in cities with rivers like Boston and Washington, D.C. In 2005, multiple "Ride the Duck" companies merged under the name Ride the Ducks International, LLC, according to the Missouri Secretary of State's website, including tours in Branson, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Memphis and San Diego. In December, the company was acquired by Ripley Entertainment.