UPDATE: 17 dead after Missouri tourist boat accident

UPDATE: Authorities say the final four people missing since a boat capsized on a lake in southern Missouri have been found, raising the death toll to 17.

The office manager at the Stone County Sheriff’s office, Wendy Doucey, confirmed the discovery Friday. The Ride the Ducks boat sank Thursday night in the Lake of the Ozarks near Branson.

The victims’ names haven’t been released.

Branson is about 200 miles southeast of Kansas City and is a popular vacation spot for families and other tourists.

Earlier story:

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — A sheriff in Missouri says a tourist boat has apparently capsized on a lake, leaving eight people dead and several others hospitalized.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader says the accident occurred Thursday night after a Ride the Ducks tourist boat reportedly sank on Table Rock Lake with more than 30 people on board.

Rader says an off-duty sheriff’s deputy working security helped rescue people. He says recovery efforts are ongoing, with some passengers still unaccounted for.

A dive team is assisting.

Rader says weather is believed to have caused the boat to capsize.