A woman who lost nine members of her family when an amphibious tour boat sank in a sudden storm in the US state of Missouri has asked that her family members be remembered for the "beautiful people they were."
Tia Coleman was one of 31 people on the amphibious duck boat when it set out Thursday for a tour of Table Rock Lake near the US tourist mecca of Branson.
She tearfully told a news conference on Saturday evening that she lost her husband, three children aged one, seven and nine, an uncle, a nephew along with her father-in-law, her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law. The Indiana woman said until the accident on Thursday her family had been enjoying a holiday together in Branson.
"Going home - I already know is going to be completely difficult I don't know how I'm going to do it," she said. "Since I've had a home it's always been filled, filled with little feet and laughter and my husband. I don't know how I'm going to do it."
Coleman also said she believed that life jackets would have saved many of the 17 people who died, but the captain told passengers when they set out on the lake not to bother with them.
"Above you are your life jackets; there's three sizes," she said, quoting his instructions. "'I will show you where they are but you won't need them so don't worry.' So we didn't grab them."
Coleman described her own harrowing near-drowning as she escaped the vessel after it sank in rough water whipped up by a fast-moving thunderstorm. She said the crew and passengers were aware there was a storm brewing, but the water was calm when they set out on their cruise.
She said she hit her head on part of boat as she escaped and found herself in ice cold water.
"I knew I was close to the bottom. I just remember kicking my way to the top," she said, crediting her faith in God for helping her through the ordeal.
When the water temperature became warmer she knew she was close to the surface and was then pulled from the water by "beautiful people - angels" she didn't know who were jumping in the water to get bring people to safety.
Seventeen people ranging in age from one to 76 died. One crew member was among the dead.
A GoFundMe effort to raise money for the Coleman family reached nearly 27,000 dollars in donations by Saturday night.
Investigators will look into questions about the life jackets, the weather and actions of the crew, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.
The dangers of amphibious tour boats have been a concern for years. Because they are neither entirely boat or bus they have sometimes contradictory safety regulations.
The duck boats also have thick canopies to protect passengers from the elements, but if the boats sink, passengers in life jackets can float to the top and be trapped. The NTSB recommends not wearing life jackets on these types of boats for that reason, according to USA Today.
Australian Associated Press
