At least 11 people including children drowned when an amphibious “duck boat” carrying 31 people capsized and sank in stormy weather on a lake in Missouri on Thursday.
Divers will resume searching Table Rock Lake, near Branson, Missouri, for other victims on Friday, the day after the “Ride the Ducks” amphibious vehicle sank, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader told reporters during a news conference late on Thursday.
Five people are still missing, the sheriff said.
Seven victims including two who are critically injured were treated at the Cox Medical Center in Branson, the hospital said on Twitter.
Officials opened Branson’s city hall to victims and family members and brought in clergy and the Red Cross to assist.
Emergency crews responded to the incident shortly after 7 p.m. (0000 GMT) after thunderstorms rolled through the area, the fire district said on Twitter.
The National Transportation Safety Board was sending investigators to the scene on Friday, the agency said on Twitter.
“Our number one priority is the families and our employees that were affected by this tragic accident,” said Suzanne Smagala-Potts a spokeswoman for Ripley Entertainment, which owns the Ride The Ducks operation in Branson.
