Missouri tour boat captain indicted after sinking kills 17 [View all]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A prosecutor says the indictment of the captain of a Missouri tourist boat that sank and killed 17 people marks "the beginning but not the end" of a federal prosecution in the case.

U.S. Attorney Timothy Garrison announced on Thursday that 51-year-old Kenneth Scott McKee had been indicted on 17 counts related to the July deaths, which included nine members of an Indiana family.

Garrison said he couldn't comment on specifics of the investigation. But he said McKee was indicted because "the captain of the vessel always has a duty to operate the vessel in a safe manner."

McKee's attorney declined comment Thursday.

The duck boat sank in July at Table Rock Lake, near the southwest Missouri tourist town of Branson. Duck boats are amphibious vessels originally used by the military during World War II, but some have been refurbished for tourism.

Read more: https://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/US-Attorney-to-make-announcement-in-deadly-Mo-duck-boat-accident-500056351.html