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Update On Duck Boat Accident In Missouri

NOEL KING, HOST:

Two more bodies have been found, raising the death toll to 13 after a duck tour boat capsized and sank last night in a lake near Branson, Mo. Four more people are still missing, and seven are in the hospital. NPR's Scott Neuman has more.

SCOTT NEUMAN, BYLINE: It was about 7 in the evening on Table Rock Lake when the duck boat was overtaken by a sudden squall that produced winds reportedly gusting to at least 60 mph. In a video taken from inside the restaurant on the nearby showboat Branson Belle, posted by the Springfield News-Leader, patrons can be heard watching the tragedy unfold.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Look at that driver...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Oh, my God. Oh, my God...

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Oh, no.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Oh, it's going under.

NEUMAN: Several people were plucked from the water and received hospital treatment, while rescue divers worked until late in the evening looking for others. Here's Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader speaking shortly after 11 p.m.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DOUG RADER: At this time, tonight, they're wrapping up diving operations for the night. Missouri Highway Patrol Dive Team will start again in the morning.

NEUMAN: Rader says the duck boat was carrying 31 passengers when it sank, but he couldn't confirm how many people were still missing. Witnesses said the squall moved in quickly and was like nothing they'd ever seen on the lake. Several miles away, the owners of the Lakeside Resort Restaurant & General Store shot this video posted on Facebook, showing waves rolling into docks while boats strained at their lines.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: Never seen it quite this bad. Boats can't get in. Boats can't get out.

NEUMAN: The Stone County Sheriff's Office says it expects to have an update on the rescue and recovery operation this morning.

Scott Neuman, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.