Footage captures Missouri tourist boat capsizing
Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said a tourist boat reportedly sank on Table Rock Lake. He said weather was believed to have caused the boat to capsize. High winds had hit the area, according to weather reports.
Rader said an off-duty sheriff's deputy working security helped rescue people and that recovery efforts were ongoing, with some passengers still to be accounted for. A dive team was assisting.
"It's going to be a challenging night and tomorrow," the sheriff said.
National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Linderberg said a top wind speed of 63mph was measured around 7pm on Thursday at Branson Airport. The winds were probably stronger over the lake, Linderberg said.
"There's nothing to slow down winds in an open area," he said.
Shocking video believed to be of the boat sinking was posted on to YouTube, showing the craft fighting strong wind and high waves, before its nose goes under the water line.
Southern Stone County Fire Protection District described the situation on Table Rock Lake as a "mass casualty incident" and said multiple crews were on the scene.
Injured people were taken to hospital after the "Ride the Ducks" amphibious vehicle capsized on the lake near Branson, Missouri, the district said on Twitter.
Comment: This is the second storm to sink a boat in the last few weeks. On July 6th 2018 41 people died with 15 still considered missing, when a tourist boat capsized in Thailand; making it Thailand's worst tourist-related disaster in years. While studies report that overall global winds have been decreasing, localised events in the form of storms and microbursts seem to be increasing, along with their intensity and frequency, and their unusual behaviour is making them difficult to forecast:
- Study reveals atmospheric rivers to double in size
- Sheets of rain: Austrian photographer creates stunning time-lapse of cloud dumping 'tsunami' over lake
- Extreme winter storms and wave heights have been increasing over the last 70 years in the Western Europe
- Global wind speeds slowing since 1960, but nobody knows why
- UK's "wind drought" has turbine generation down 40% - And the high pressure system is sticking around
For more, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made? as well as SOTT's monthly documentary: SOTT Earth Changes Summary - May 2018: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs