Calls to ban duck boats, the popular 2 1⁄2-ton amphibious sightseeing vehicles, grew louder yesterday as the death toll climbed to 17 in the tragic sinking of a duck boat in Branson, Mo., Thursday evening.

The vehicles — designed as World War II troop carriers — have been linked to 40 deaths since 1999.

“I had nightmares all night. … Drowning doesn’t happen instantly. That is terror, agony, torture and finally death,” said Karen Koehler, a Seattle attorney representing victims in a 2015 duck boat collision with a bus that killed five college students.

“They were meant for war. They are neither car nor boat. They are a hybrid that causes problems. … Every time I see people on it, I think, why are you on them?” she told the Herald.

A duck boat, part of the “Ride the Ducks” company, carrying 29 passengers and two crew members was on Table Rock Lake in Branson Thursday evening when it capsized and sank amid high winds and stormy weather. Seven people were injured and at least two were hospitalized in critical condition, according to reports.

“Hearing this happen is just devastating,” said Koehler. “It shouldn’t keep happening.”

Ripley Entertainment, which owns Ride the Ducks, said in a statement they are “deeply saddened by the tragic accident.”

The company added: “This incident has deeply affected all of us. 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.”

Philadelphia attorney Jeff Goodman said the design of duck boats makes accidents particularly dangerous, especially in the water.

“When they do sink, they drag the passenger down by virtue of the canopy,” Goodman said. “The canopies are fundamental safety flaws. They should not be there.”

Goodman, whose firm represented victims in a fatal duck boat sinking in 2010, said the metal roofs on most duck boats make it difficult for passengers to escape. He said the body of one of the victims in the Philadelphia incident was not recovered until the boat was because they had been trapped under the roof.

“Flat out, the duck boats should not be on the roads or in the water,” Goodman said. “They need to be flat out banned.”

The Branson incident is the latest in a string of tragic accidents involving duck boats that left people killed or injured.

In 1999, 13 people died when a boat sank near Hot Springs, Ark. The 2015 crash in Seattle killed five students and hurt 69 others. In Philadelphia the same year, a woman was killed when she was hit by a duck boat crossing a street.

Two years ago in Boston, Allison Warmuth, 28, was fatally struck by a duck boat while riding a scooter on Beacon Hill — a crash that prompted new safety regulations in Massachusetts including extra cameras on the boats.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.