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More than 600 people spent Saturday night stranded aboard a Missouri showboat.
The showboat Branson Belle left the dock in Branson, Missouri, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 11 for a sail on Table Rock Lake. At about 6 p.m., the vessel began having problems with the propulsion. A tugboat was called to help, but as the wind picked up, the showboat ran aground.
The cruise was scheduled to last two and a half hours; instead, 567 passengers and 76 crew members onboard the were stranded on the 750-seat paddle boat overnight until rescuers reach them on Sunday mornings. There were no sleeping accommodations, so passengers used tablecloths as blankets. While, the situation was uncomfortable, the ship was heated and had power and there was food and drink onboard.
Emergency teams had to bulldoze through vegetation and build a makeshift ramp to the shore. They worked through freezing temperatures and gusting winds. Passengers had to wait for the winds to die down before they could safely disembark. Fifteen hours after the trip began, passengers were able to leave.
Three people sustained minor injuries.
Last month, 4,500 passengers were stranded when the cruise ship Splendor was stranded with no electricity after an engine fire. Injuries to passengers on cruise ships are covered by maritime law.
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