Missouri attorney general urges duck boat owners to work with investigators

Show Caption Hide Caption Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley speaks to press about NTSB investigation Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley speaks to press about the NTSB investigation into the Ride the Ducks duck boat crash

BRANSON — Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley urged the owners of the duck boat that fatally sank Thursday evening in a nearby lake to cooperate fully with the authorities investigating the accident, and he asked for the public’s assistance, too.

Hawley, the state’s top law enforcement officer, encouraged anyone with videos or photos of the incident to send them to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. "That would be a tremendous help to patrol officers," he said.

"I would also strongly encourage the owners of the duck boat to cooperate with the Highway Patrol's investigation," he said. "Your full cooperation is very important. It is very vital to getting to the bottom of exactly what happened, and it is something that will be very necessary going forward."

More: Branson duck boat tragedy: 17 dead, including 9 from one family

Hawley met with officials from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard Saturday afternoon to learn more about their investigations into the fatal accident on Table Rock Lake near Branson. Seventeen people, including five children, died.

The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are spearheading the investigation into the sinking of the duck boat, which was buffeted by high-speed winds during a thunderstorm and capsized, Hawley said. Meanwhile, the Highway Patrol is taking point on the investigation into the circumstances that led to this tragedy.

“Our first responsibility is to make sure that we get all of the facts and we get the evidence,” he said, noting that these investigations are in the early stages, but progress already is being made.

The duck boat belonged to Ride the Ducks Branson, a tourism business that has operated these vehicles for many years and was purchased in 2017 by Ripley Entertainment.

More: Owner of Branson duck boat company: 'It shouldn't have been in the water"

People filled the Ride the Ducks parking lot late Friday to mourn for those lost, clutching candles and laying flowers atop a pair of cars left there overnight. The Ride the Ducks website included a message this weekend that said it would be closed while it supports the investigation into this accident.

Hawley said Saturday that he wasn’t inferring anything about whether the duck boat’s owners are or are not cooperating with investigators.

“I infer nothing. I just would strongly encourage them to do so,” he said. “The patrol needs to get all of the facts. They need to know exactly what happened in the minutes, and hours even, preceding this terrible tragedy.”

Investigators are working hard on constructing a detailed, definitive timeline of what happened Thursday, Hawley said. Whether the duck boat’s passengers were wearing life jackets, were instructed to wear them or knew how to access them is also a focus of the ongoing investigations.

Hawley didn’t offer a perspective on whether there should be more regulations for duck boats or whether these World War II-era vessels are safe for people to ride. He said only that “significant questions” have been raised about the safety of these boats.

“We need to see exactly what happened here,” he said.

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