Ripley's Entertainment offers to pay for funerals, medical bills in duck boat tragedy

The owner of Ride the Ducks, Ripley Entertainment, released a statement to KY3 News Monday morning about the investigation into the deadly sinking of a duck boat Thursday.

Ripley's plans to pay for all funeral services and medical bills associated with the tragedy.

We remain deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred at Ride the Ducks Branson. Our focus from the start has been on the guests, families, and employees who were affected last Thursday. Today, we continue to focus our efforts on the families. We are offering to pay for all related medical bills and funeral expenses, return all personal items from the rescue scene, and assist with any related travel or accommodations that will help the families in their time of need. An event like this deeply touches everyone and we are also providing grief counseling to our employees who have been affected by this tragic accident. We are fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Highway Patrol and all federal and state authorities involved in the investigation. The investigation is being managed by the NTSB. Because we are a party to the NTSB investigation, we are not allowed to comment on any aspect of it. However, our job is to cooperate and provide information to those officials and to comfort the families of those affected by this tragic event. Thank you for your support, and we continue to ask that your thoughts and prayers be with the families during this difficult time.:

Seventeen died when the Ride the Ducks boat went down Thursday night in Table Rock Lake on the outskirts of Branson after a thunderstorm generated near-hurricane strength winds. Crews Monday morning raised the boat from the bottom of Table Rock Lake.