BRANSON, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri town known for its country shows and entertainment mourned Friday after 17 people – including nine from one family – were killed when a tourist boat sank on churning water in a sudden storm.
The grief-stricken community hosted two separate vigils Friday night. In one, about 300 people gathered in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks of Branson and sang “Amazing Grace.” Mourners at a church sang the same words.
“Even though we may not know any of them it doesn’t matter,” said Tammy Miesner, 54, of Branson. “It’s a part of our lives to be there for each other.”
Earlier, Mayor Karen Best said Branson is typically a city “full of smiles … But today we are grieving and crying.”
Divers found the final four bodies Friday in Table Rock Lake near Branson after the deadliest accident of its kind in nearly two decades. State and federal investigators were trying to determine what went sent the vessel known as a duck boat to its demise. An initial assessment blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength, but it wasn’t clear why the amphibious vehicle even ventured out into the water.