Senators McCaskill, Blunt share grief after duck boat sinking

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill says she'll examine "legislative solutions" to increase the safety of amphibious vehicles like duck boats after the tragedy in Branson.

One major concern she has is the canopy over the duck boat. She said, "It is my goal to take the recommendations that were recommended after the tragedy in Arkansas, dust them off, make sure they're applicable to this situation, and then move forward and try to get them into the law and that they're enforced."

The Democratic senator said she was briefed Friday evening by officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Both agencies are investigating the Thursday evening accident on Table Rock Lake that killed 17 people.

The state's other senator, Republican Roy Blunt, also was being briefed by the agencies. He said he will monitor the investigation closely and called it "a tragedy that never should have happened."

He added, "I think we need to wait to see what kind of legislation might be necessary. Another questions is should NTSB have regulatory authority, which they don't have now? That could be a legislative determination right there."