Seattle duck boats to suspend operations pending inspection

The duck boat tour operator issued a statement: “Ride the Ducks of Seattle wishes to express its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the people who were killed and those that were injured”, it said.

Investigators said Saturday that the left front axle of the duck boat was sheared off, but they hadn’t determined if that damage happened before the collision or during it. The other victims from Thursday’s crash were identified as 18-year-old Privaudo Putradauto of Indonesia, Mami Sato, 37, from Japan and a 17-year-old Chinese student whose name was not released because she is a minor. At least 16 people remained at Seattle hospitals Sunday, with five in intensive care and one in critical condition.

A fifth person died on Sunday from injuries sustained in a collision Thursday between a bus and a Seattle duck boat on Aurora Bridge.

The amphibious vehicle tours are offered around the world, including in Philadelphia; Austin, Texas; Miami; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and London.

SEATTLE (AP) – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the state will seek to suspend the operations of Seattle’s duck boat fleet pending the outcome of an investigation. The NTSB has learned that Ride the Ducks global, which refurbished the accident vehicle in 2005, notified its customers of a potential safety related concern in 2013. Final results of their investigation, however, are not expected for a year. They plan this week to interview the driver of both the Duck and the charter bus, which was operated by Bellair Charters & Airporter, Weener said.

“This fix was not on this particular duck”, he said.

The commission says it wants to inspect each amphibious tour vehicle in the company’s fleet and review the records of every driver. Once the war was over, they became used by civilian law enforcement agencies and also converted to sightseeing vehicles in US cities.