One family of 9 survived duck boat sinking; 'complete miracle,' relative says

People view a row of idled duck boats in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Branson, Mo. One of the company's duck boats capsized Thursday night resulting in several deaths on Table Rock Lake. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
People view a row of idled duck boats in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Branson, Mo. One of the company's duck boats capsized Thursday night resulting in several deaths on Table Rock Lake. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

At least one member died from every family aboard a tourist duck boat that sank in Missouri last week, except for a family of nine that all survived.

Mandi Keller says her family's survival is a "complete miracle." The Kansas City Star reports that Keller wasn't aboard the Ride the Ducks boat when it was swamped during high winds Thursday evening.

Seventeen of the 31 people aboard the duck boat died, including nine of 11 members of another family.

Missouri State Highway Patrol chaplain Steve Martin calls the survival of Keller's family "remarkable." Martin says there is "no explanation" and that the family is suffering from survivors' guilt.

Martin says the family all ended up in different places and found safety in different ways.

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